Alien Heart
by BeautyNotBeast
Summary: Terra has never had an easy life, especially after being forced into an orphanage at a young age when her father died. But after one run-in with an old friend, the next thing she knows she's stuck in a taxi with two blonde alien siblings trying to save Earth. Secrets will be revealed, and Terra's life will change forever. How will it end for the group? Seth/OC
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

Chapter 1

"Hey Jackie!" The sudden shout caused him to jolt upwards, hitting the back of his head hard on the roof of the taxi he had yet to get into. Clenching his teeth while he tenderly felt the newly-formed bruise on the back of his shaved head, his sights lastly landed on the young teenager who started his way. "Hey Terra," Jack forced out, biting his tongue at the fresh pain. "What's going on with my favorite taxi driver today?" The teen didn't even flinch at the loud blaring of a car horn as another taxi screeched to a stop right beside her. "I can't give you any free rides today. Dominic's been catching on, and he's practically breathing down my neck now when it comes to the money I bring back." "Aw man," she faked a sigh, "And here I was thinking I could get a ride over to that crazy alien festival starting up in town." "Why would _you_ of all people, want to go to that?" Terra's pale pink lips curved up into a smirk, "Why Jack? Do _you_ not believe in any other form of life out there in that big ole' universe?" "Frankly, I don't care what's on another planet out there, because right now," the car horns continued to honk behind them, adding to his irritation, "I'm just trying to survive what's on ours." The teen laughed while draping her arms over the open car door, which made the sleeves of her brown jacket seem even bigger around her skinny arms. "So how about that ride?" Jack looked back at her, a grin slowly crawling onto his face at the sight of her usually fiery-red hair tamed into a messy side braid while under a brown cotton beanie. "I guess so, hop on in, I've gotta get the keys first."

Reclining into the worn material of the backseat, Terra let out a brief sigh while her tense muscles relaxed. She always enjoyed riding around with Jack; he'd been an old friend of her Father's before he passed a couple years back and she often found herself strolling on over to the taxi place when it was his shift. As far as she knew, he didn't mind given her rides or talking every once and awhile, which is what she needed; Terra couldn't stand the crummy orphanage she was forced to stay in by the state and she'd do anything to spend as much time as she could away from it. Her attention was soon caught by the sight of a black SUV, its driver deciding to pull up right in front of the taxi as Jack came around to start the car. "Hey look guys, you gotta move this thing. I've got to go." "Jack," a large well-dressed black man smiled while stepping out of the SUV, "You don't return phone calls anymore?" Just as he spun around, another well-dressed large caucasian man greeted him with a small grin that peered through his brown beard and connecting mustache. "Mr. Wolfe thinks you're being rude." "Oh yeah? Well, tell Wolfe when I said it was the last time, I meant it." "Mr. Wolfe gets to decide when it's the last time, not you." "He likes you Jackie," the bearded man smirked, "He hates to see your God-given driving talents go to waste giving fat tours or cab rides up and down the strip. I mean, what kind of life is that?" Terra knew she probably shouldn't be listening in on what they were discussing, but her curiosity got the better of her as she scooted closer in between the front seats to hear. "It's what I'm late for." Jack tried again to make it to the driver's door, but this time was stopped by the large black man's hand gripping his shoulder. Within seconds, Jack had both men face down on the hood of the yellow taxi which Terra couldn't help but gawk at. She had never seen Jack do anything more than yell at the windshield, especially not something like punch two men and pin them by their throats to the hood of a car! "Do you have a death wish?" one of them growled. "I drive a cab in Vegas," he released the tight grip he had on their necks while going to the driver's door. "You're dead Jack," one man barked out from under the hand that clutched his probably dented nose, reaching within the jacket of his suit to pull something out before the sound of a police siren caught them all by surprise. "Hey," the officer shouted from his open window, "What are you guys doing? Are you insane? Now move this thing out of the taxi zone before I give you a ticket!" "See you soon Jack." The two men climbed back into their big SUV and drove off, which calmed Jack enough for him to slide into the driver's seat. "Sorry you had to see that," he released with a breath. Terra just grinned, positioning herself comfortably back in her seat as they drove off down the avenue.

It wasn't until a few seconds later she finally noticed the two other people sitting at each side of her in the back of the taxi that Terra spoke again, "Jack…" His eyes glanced back in the rear view mirror to see what was wrong, and almost instantly his foot landed on the break hard which caused the car to stop in the middle of the road. Jack turned around to see the two blonde-headed kids seated beside Terra, "Where'd you two come from?" "Outside," the teenage boy answered to her left. "Yeah, I figured that part out on my own. How'd you get in my car?" "Through that portal," the girl replied as they both uncertainly pointed to the doors on either side of the car. "I'm Seth," the boy spoke up again, "This is my sister Sarah. We require your transportation services immediately." "Really? Well, I require_" "Currency transaction," Sarah looked to her brother as he unzipped a duffle bag and held a wad of cash out to Jack. "Will this amount suffice?" Both Terra and Jack looked to the cash in question, soon tossing each other confused glances before any more continued with these strange siblings. "What'd you two do, rob a bank?" "Is this acceptable Jack Bruno?" Terra stiffened at the sound of his whole name, allowing her light green eyes to travel to Sarah's face as she watched Jack. "How'd you know my name?" The pale-skinned girl pointed to his license displayed on the dashboard of the car, causing Terra to huff at how obvious that was to which she received a short glare from Jack. "If we've obtained your services, we must move forward rapidly," Seth leaned forward, pressing against the seatbelt tied across his tan shirt and brown jacket. "It is urgent we get to our destination without delay," he finished. "Jack, there are cars behind us." Terra reminded him which brought both the blondes' eyes back to her. "All right, alright! I'm going!" he called to the swarm of beeping cars behind them. "Where to?" Seth pulled some small electronic device from the pocket of his jeans, touching the screen continuously where silence began to fill the cab. "I need an address," Jack sounded rather impatiently. "We must travel in that direction." Sarah pointed forward, which caused Terra to have to stifle a chuckle that threatened to unleash. "Well, I'm going to need something a little more specific than just _that direction_." "Uh…we must locate a latitude of four-o point five four, cross intersecting longitude_" Jack placed a hand out to stop Seth midsentence, "I think we'll just stick with _that direction_."

A small smile passed over Terra's lips for a few seconds, only to disappear when Jack looked back to her through the mirror again. "Do you want me to drop you off first? I don't know where it is they're going, but_" "We must continue our route without any distractions," Seth corrected. She couldn't help but let out a short chuckle, which received a glare from Seth in return, her eyes duplicating the force whole-heartedly though averting his gaze. "Hey now, this is my car and I will drive wherever I want, whenever I want," Jack glared back, reminding Terra of a spoiled college kid talking back to their parent. "Now, do you want me to drop you off first?" "Well, I_" "Please Terra," Sarah gently touched her shoulder, "You may be of assistance to my brother and I." Startled at how the girl knew her name, Terra nodded uncertainly, where she began to feel almost obligated to help these two strangers. _"How did she know my name, I don't remember anyone mentioning my name this whole ride." _Broken from her thoughts by Seth as he glowered over to his sister, his blue eyes then looked Terra up and down which was not a nice thing to do considering they were stuck beside each other in a small cab. "How could she possibly assist us? I have told you Sarah, we are to trust no one here; not even her." "Well gee thanks," the redhead retorted sarcastically. "Please, ignore my brother's harsh tone, he is not very trusting of people we have not met before." Sarah explained, her large blue eyes studying Terra as Jack continued to drive in silence. She flashed a glance over to Seth once again, where Terra found his own gaze examining her face quite closely before they locked eyes. A strange sensation began to flood her body, streaming throughout her veins like honey which slowed her thought process. Unknowing to the fact that her eyes dilated, Terra slumped back in her seat as though her body had become fluid, not daring to break the connection with Seth's blue orbs which were unlike anything she had ever seen. His hands clenched and unclenched several times within seconds while he began to tap his left foot rather quickly, breaking the staring contest between them to look outside. As soon as he turned away, Terra felt the air return to her lungs and she could feel an unusual pull towards the boy beside her. Sarah caught her attention with a wide smile causing a blush to spread throughout her cheeks when she realized his sister had seen the whole thing. _"What just happened?" _


	2. Chapter 2: What We Came Here For

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Race to Witch Mountain or any of the characters except for my OC, Terra.

I just wanted to let you guys know that I will be using the main plot and sequence of events as the movie, but I've decided to change things up a bit. Seth is going to be a little older than he appears in the movie, and so is my OC, but I was also thinking about adding in a couple scenes; just as a warning. Thanks for reading! Hope you guys enjoy, be sure to review and follow the story as it progresses.

* * *

The once lively scenery of Las Vegas soon turned to the empty open area of the desert, filled with hundreds of green plants bred for the heat as their journey continued within the confinements of a yellow taxi. It had been what seemed like forever to Terra since her eyes had locked with Seth's and now his appeared to be glued to the window; she could still feel that burning heat on her skin that begged her to get closer to him, but she resisted.

"Are your parents gonna be okay with you kids spending all this money?" Jack finally broke the silence as his eyes watched the meter.

Seth again leaned forward, his tone rather firm when talking to Jack which Terra took note of. "We have previously agreed about our financial deal. If your concern is regarding your compensation_" "My concern is the fact that I've got a couple of kids, Terra not included, in the back of my cab with a big wad of cash, and a drop-off location that's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Now in my book, that's a little chapter called _running away_," Jack stated matter-of-factly. He was about to continue his rant had he not been interrupted by the cab's radio.

"Jack, you better be getting desert miles on that fairer, and they better be able to pay! And you better get me an ETA, capiche?" The mumbled voice sounded through the radio, where Jack picked up the small extension. "I'm losing reception Dominic," he lied, making Terra laugh just a bit as Seth and Sarah looked at each other. "Jack! Jack_" he shut the radio off before Dominic could finish. Sarah and Seth suddenly looked out the back window, turning what seemed like desperately towards the front. "Jack Bruno, the vehicles behind us are indicating a pattern of pursuit." "There's no vehicles following_" his gaze landed on the rear view mirror, just in time to see the black SUV come over the hill not far behind them.

"With your current speed versus theirs, they will overtake our vehicle in less than_" "Oh relax kid, I'm just gonna let them pass" Jack brushed their suggests off as Terra turned along with Seth and Sarah to see the SUV start to gain on them. "Jack," her tone hinted to uneasiness as Jack rolled down the window, gesturing with his arm for them to pass. "Open road people! It's all yours!" Just as one SUV came to the cab's side, another appeared in its place behind them, where Seth and Terra were both able to see the incredibly darkened windows while it passed by. "See? What did I tell ya? No one's following us. I'm the king of these roads, and_" "Jack Bruno!" Sarah shouted while throwing her hand forward. The SUV in front of them slid into a position like Terra had seen police do while one of the two behind them clipped their tail end, sending the car spinning to the side.

Jack somehow managed to wheel the car around and successfully dodge the SUV ahead, driving straight past while being followed by the other two. "I said I was out and I meant!" "Who is Mr. Wolfe, Jack Bruno?" Sarah's wide eyes pleaded with him for the answer, though he didn't reply the way she wanted. "How do you know about_" One of the three SUVs rammed into the back of the taxi, causing the three teens to jolt forwards, secured by the seat belts. "Get down now!" Terra, Seth and Sarah all tried to get as close to the floor as possible, wrapping their arms over their heads for protection in case anything was to happen. Terra's shaky hand was suddenly trapped in another where she raised her head just enough to see Seth's concerned look. All three SUVs began to enclose the cab at each side, causing Jack to ram into their sides again and again; the harsh treatment of the taxi on the outside made the passengers jump around like they were riding bumper cars.

"Hold on," Jack grunted while pressing the gas pedal to the floorboard, throwing two of the SUVs off the road in a large cloud of dust. The three teens lastly brought their heads up, looking back in fear at the sight of one more vehicle following them from behind. "Jack Bruno it would appear we have not eluded them," Sarah directed his attention back to the car. "I am so over this. Stay down! Stay down!"

Returning to their previous positions, Terra gripped tighter to Seth's hand, feeling him squeeze back as he turned to look at both her and his sister. "Seth, no. That is not a good idea." Sarah spoke first. "I have to try." "It's too dangerous," Terra reasoned, feeling like she knew what he was going to do next. Without a word, he faced the front once again, phasing out the back of the cab which released their hands as he appeared crouching on the ground behind them.

The superpower show didn't even freak Terra out, which surprised her; it seemed like half of her already knew what Seth and Sarah could do, while the other half was screaming at her that what she had just seen wasn't real. Yet all the same, she gazed out the back of the cab, watching as Seth stood before the SUV which soon crashed against his being like hitting a brick wall. Pieces flew everywhere as the body of the vehicle hit the concrete with great force behind Seth. Sarah threw her hand forward in a fist, causing the car to come to a screeching halt; flipping her palm, she forced the vehicle into reverse while Jack questioned how in the world it was happening.

"Are you three okay?" Jack tried to catch his breath. Sarah nervously looked back to him, "We are…" "Fine," Seth finished while phasing back into his seat. "We should just keep moving." Ignoring their advice, Jack threw open the door with a crowbar in hand.

Terra straightened in her seat, analyzing Seth for any injury before their hands again found one another. "Are you alright?" she questioned a bit breathless. He nodded, trying to avoid her eyes though he did hold tight to her hand. "Seth, I have no idea what happened," her annoyance towards his actions fueled her voice. "But you can't keep acting like this." Seeing no change as he turned to face the window, Terra felt a pain rake her chest which made her voice waver, "Please…" "Seth, you will need to face this eventually." Sarah encouraged. "We will discuss this later," he lastly answered, leaving the cab in a thick sense of tension while Jack persisted further into the desert once returning to the driver's seat.

* * *

"How are you kids holding up back there?" Running a hand over his shaved head, Jack glanced in the mirror as Sarah looked to the other two, seeing only Terra's downhearted appearance and Seth's emotionless stare out the window. "We are fine." "I'm sorry I dragged you three into all this." "There is no need to apologize Jack Bruno. You're not always the one to blame." "But the urgency of our trip has not decreased," Seth leaned forward, making it clear they were to continue. "Look, don't worry, I'll get you two where you need to go. You've earned it."

The search for their destination led the group down rocky desert slopes, up grass-covered hills, around large piles of desert rock; all causing large clouds of dust to cake into the air behind them until finally a deteriorating shack came into view. "We're here Jack Bruno," Sarah announced with a bit of excitement coloring her voice. "Here?" he asked, having not seen the shack resting down another slope, "There's nothing here."

Seth turned to look at Sarah at which she nodded to what seemed like a silent question as they drew closer to the shack. Drained of all its color from the hot desert sun, the one story structure sat in a thick platform of sand and gravel, almost as though it had been waiting for them there. "Someone's expecting you two right? It doesn't look like anyone's home." "Don't worry Jack Bruno. We will soon be reunited with relatives." Sarah grinned at the statement.

"Okay…seven hundred twenty dollars and fifty cents, but after everything that happened today, how about I knock off twenty-five percent and_" "Here," Seth handed him the wad of cash while sliding across the seats to exit the vehicle; he had not let go of Terra's hand which she assumed meant she was to follow. The three teens rushed inside, leaving Jack to himself out in the cab as he counted his money. "Hey, you guys overpaid!" he shouted after them, noticing how Terra had joined the siblings when going into the house.

The entire contents of the home was spread around the floor, tables flipped over, chairs pushed away, only leaving a single light bulb to provide any means of light while a fan hung from the ceiling swung around and around releasing a squeaky sound with each turn. Sarah and Seth both studied the mess with caution, being sure when they heard a noise to duck down behind a couch, dragging Terra down with them. "Hello?" Jack opened the door while sticking his head inside. The teens could see him, but he couldn't see them from their hiding spot. Terra's instinct was to stand and usher him over where they were, but Seth tugged her back down into a crouch when she tried.

Jack quickly progressed when looking around the place, picking up a makeshift weapon along the way just to be safe where he would've hit Seth had it not phased through his shoulder when he came near the couch. "W-what just happened?" "Jack Bruno, you should not have risked your life by following us," Sarah watched him intently. "What sort of trouble are you two in?" "I suggest you return back to your vehicle," Seth commanded, "Your services are no longer required." "Seth," Terra objected, "He's just trying to help." "We don't need his help. Someone's already been here looking for it. We simply cannot trust any of them, just _us _Sarah." Seth's eyes travelled to Terra's face as well, delivering the message that she was included in the _us_. "We appreciate your efforts to assist us, Jack Bruno, but my brother is right. We can involve you no further."

As Seth continued to click the screen of the small device he held, Terra leaned against his side when her nerves began to get the best of her. "Seth…" His head snapped up at her scared tone of voice, where he again took her hand with a brief reassuring smile, "It will be alright." Jack looked between the two, allowing his eyes to stop on Terra. "If I'm leaving, you're coming with me; this doesn't involve you either." "She will not_" Seth began to protest though Sarah beat him to it, "I'm afraid my brother will need Terra's assistance in the remainder of our journey, she will be safe I assure you Jack Bruno."

"Got it," Seth called where the teenagers immediately sprang up from their hiding spot and jogged away. "Hey, just tell me what's_" he stood, watching as the kids disappeared around a corner before Jack then picked the small club-like item up again in case of an emergency. "This way Sarah." Their whispers could be heard in the silence around them all, where Seth lastly opened the large door of a refrigerator to peer inside at the empty rusted shelves. Placing the small device he had carried on the side of the fridge, all the lights on the sides began to glow causing the shelves to move displaying an open passageway.

"What is that? Whoa, whoa hey!" Jack stood at the door of the tunnel while Seth assisted Terra in after him, followed by Sarah. "Don't go in the pimped out fridge Jack," he seemed to be talking to himself which made Terra giggle slightly as the tunnel travelled down to another floor. Seth again placed the device on the side of a shelf where the lights collected their glow once again on the gadget forcing the wall of supplies to move aside. A blue lit cave-shaped tunnel led out to a large cavern filled with the plants from their home planet, where Jack stood dumbfounded at the sight of huge colored balls dropped from the ceiling. "What is this place?" "This way," Seth directed while following the beeping gadget he held ahead of them. Terra scurried through the jungle-like plants in haste, trying to keep up with the two blondes as Jack tailed her; questions began filling her head whenever she studied her surroundings. This atmosphere felt familiar to her in some way, though she couldn't quite remember, but her attention was then caught by a short plant thing mirroring the ones on the ceiling except on a smaller scale. "Sarah it's here!"

The small blonde rushed over, prying something from around her neck which she placed on top of the bubbly-looking structure, making its blue exterior morph to a shade of red. She stuffed her small hand through one of the openings only to then pull out another small device which made both Seth and her smile. "What is it?" Jack spoiled the moment of excitement with his question where Sarah turned around grinning from ear-to-ear, "It is what we came here for Jack Bruno." "Really? Is anyone else looking for it? Say the person who trashed everything upstairs?" Their smiles faded at the realization that another was here, triggering Seth's serious look once more. "We think so, it is very valuable, which is why it was so vital we locate it first."

"Well, what makes you so sure that whoever else wanted it isn't still looking for it?" Answered with loud footsteps and several twigs snapping under the other's feet, Jack ushered them all back into the thicket, holding what appeared to be a table leg in defense. They all stood quietly, looking around to find out exactly which direction the person was coming from where Seth grasped Terra's hand. "Run! Run! Run!" Jack yelled, sending them all into the brush in attempts to escape.

Forcing her down into a crouch beside him, Terra gaped in horror towards a tall masked android-like man as Jack whacked him once in the chest; it didn't seem to affect him at all, and with one arm, the man sent the cab driver flying back into the bushes. The quiet became eerie as they remained crouched until the man fired at one of the large bulbs of unknown elements hanging from the ceiling which caused them all to gasp, alerting him of their presence. "Jack Bruno!" Sarah shouted back. "Kids!" he hollered just before the fire caught on to another bulb, igniting on instant.

The plants around them began to catch aflame where Seth urged Terra to run, "Go! Go! Run Terra!" One final shot hit the ground next to the teens, propelling them back onto the dirt floor several feet away. Jumping back onto their feet, they started running again, which made Sarah stop in a clearing to call for their friend, "Jack Bruno?!" The large man appeared behind her, knocking the device from her hand into the dirt as she screamed. Seth and Terra both leapt at the man together though he swung them to the side with ease, causing them to hit against the wall hard knocking the air from the girl's lungs. Sarah outstretched her palm just as the man reached the device, which called it straight to her while Jack sprung out of nowhere and tackled the opponent.

Holding him in a tight headlock, the man threw Jack to the side, knocking him against a tree. A wide-eyed Sarah tossed her hand out to the side, firing a ball of flames towards the man which ended with the same fate as Jack had with a tree. "We gotta go! We gotta go!" They ducked their heads as more explosions went on around them, racing back up the tunnel where Terra and Seth both stopped to push the shelf back into place in attempts to slow the man behind them. A large blue orb of light came at them as they sealed it shut, shaking the very walls of the underground tunnel while Terra was sent down to the floor, landing on top of an unconscious Seth. "Seth!" she cried, shaking him with the idea he would wake up right then, which soon caught Jack's attention as he raced back to help.

Slinging the teenager over his shoulders, Jack turned back to the entrance where Sarah stood, concern written on both the girls' faces. "Keep moving! Keep moving!" Closing the fridge after everyone had made it out, Terra started after the trio ahead of her; screaming once the fridge's door was blown off its hinges by another explosion. Jack kicked down the front door to the house while sprinting to the taxi, laying the unconscious Seth in the back seat as Terra and his sister climbed in after. Explosions were going off everywhere around, missing the taxi only by inches when Jack put the pedal to the metal to get them out of there. Dusting the strange snow-like ash from her hair, Terra looked over at Seth once putting his seatbelt on. The boy's face was smudged with dirt, along with hers she was sure, and his short blonde hair appeared greasy with the amount of dust and rubble it had been exposed too. She slid her hand into his in hopes of calming herself, where Seth's eyes immediately reopened; blinking like he hoped the memories coming back to him had just been a bad dream. Unfortunately, it wasn't.


	3. Chapter 3: Siphon

Chapter 3

"How's your brother doing?" Jack called back to them after a few minutes of silent driving. "His system has the ability_" "I will be fine." Seth cut his sister off, squeezing Terra's hand as she looked up at him. "It is important that we gain much distance from this location." "You know I'm happy you're feeling better," Jack started off sarcastically, "Because you're going to need your strength when you try to explain to me just what happened back there!" Sarah glanced at her brother, both of them quiet while Jack continued to drive down the dark empty roads until abruptly pulling to a stop. Throwing his arm across the back of his chair, Jack faced the three of them sternly, his dark eyes going to Terra who uncomfortably shifted closer to Seth.

"Alright, here's the deal, the cab doesn't move until your mouths do, so start talking." "The information you are seeking, is not within your grasp of understanding," Seth pressed forward, followed by Sarah who hoped Jack would try to understand. "We are dealing with issues outside the realm of…your world." "Hey, I'm a cab driver okay? I've had plenty of worldly experiences…" his voice trailed off before he finished, where Terra's eyes followed his own out the back window to see a large light soar through the air closer to them.

"Sarah, we have to go!" Seth shouted, alerting Sarah to the problem where she pressed her hand down which sent the car hurtling forward. "What is it?!" Jack tried to see while steering the vehicle at its fast speed, noticing how all the teenagers were peering out the window behind them. Several bolts of electricity were shot down around the cab, causing the car to shake and jumble the teens around inside. "Hang on!" He tried to turn the taxi around, but instead ended up forcing the cab down a steep hill, the brakes unable to help until nearing the bottom where a sharp turn had them going forward once again. "Jack, railroad tracks!" Terra shouted, pointing at the metal tracks visible through the thin blanket of smog. He turned again, aligning the tires with the new terrain and slowed to a stop just inside the train tunnel.

"We can't let him destroy it Sarah," Seth and Terra both looked over to his little sister as she held up the small device received from the plant they found in that little shack. "Who is he? And this time I need real answers." Jack said through clenched teeth. "It's a Siphon," Sarah whispered as if she were afraid of the word. "A what?" "It's an assassin trained to pursue his target until his mission is completed," Seth finished, glancing at Terra with concern filling his eyes. "And his mission is_" Jack was cut off as a pair of blue lights peered down into the tunnel ahead, scouring every inch of the structure, getting closer and closer to the cab. "Us," the three breathed out in unison.

Plastering their backs against the seats, Terra touched Seth's hand that held hers as they all watched Jack slowly go towards the keys in the ignition. The lights stalked closer, slowly like they wanted the group to feel the pressure growing on their shoulders yet they suddenly stopped just an inch for the cab. And just like that, the lights disappeared back the way they came, which allowed everyone in the vehicle to release the breath they had held. Jack started the car, keeping the headlights off as he slowed forward still on the railroad tracks. "Is there a safer route Jack Bruno?" Sarah's large eyes watched him as he looked out the side window. "Not unless you know how to fly."

Several seconds went by of peaceful silence, before a large ball of the electricity fired from the ship hit the back of the cab. Stuck on a bridge and increasing their speed, several more bolts hit the railing around them, shaking the taxi as much as any of them thought possible. "Get down!" Jack had a hard time keeping the car on the tracks until they zoomed into another train tunnel yet this time the aircraft followed just behind, illuminating the teen's faces where Terra turned to Seth. "Jack Bruno!" Sarah urged him to go faster, looking back out the window to see how much space was in between them and the Siphon. "Come on, hold it together!" Jack spoke more to the trembling taxi cab than the kids, staring out the windshield in disbelief at the sound of a train's horn. "Oh come on!"

Lights appeared ahead from the oncoming train which caused Terra's heart to just about stop when Seth began yelling over the noise of the horn, "Faster! Faster!" "It won't go any faster!" Jack shouted back, where sibling turned to sibling. "Sarah!" Flattening her palm out, Sarah propelled the cab further at a quicker speed, pushing the small car as fast as it could go. "Hold on!" he shouted while jerking the car to the right, only seconds before the train entered the tunnel though the spacecraft wasn't near as lucky. A head on collision between the two transportation vessels ended in a large explosion at the entrance of the tunnel. "Watch out!" One of the train cars flew into the air, landing right behind them as they continued forward.

Jack pulled off onto regular ground, driving off for quite a while as they all tried to catch their breath. After a couple of popping noises sounded from the front of the car, Jack decided to pull off to the side to see how much longer they could make it without stopping somewhere to get repairs; though as soon as he exited the car Terra was enveloped in a tight hug. Peeking out from under his chin that was placed on her head, Terra's green eyes met blue once again as the warmth from his chest pressed against hers began to mix with the already unbelievable yearning for them to always be closer. "That was way too close," Seth released with a breath. "I agree," Terra grinned, placing her head back along his shoulder.

"No," Seth stated seemingly to his sister, "We cannot trust him." "I know we can, and we must," Sarah pleaded. Straightening back into her seat, Terra was slightly saddened by the fact she had to lose contact with Seth as Jack slammed the hood down and returned to the driver's side. "We know you're frustrated Jack Bruno_" "No," he held a hand up to stop her, "No more Jack Bruno this, Jack Bruno that, not until I get some an_" "You already know the answers Jack Bruno," Sarah interrupted him just as he had done her. "My brother and I are indeed not from your planet." Jack started laughing crazily, turning around to look at the three of them with a strange smile. "So that's it? Mystery solved! You two want me to believe that you're both aliens?" "It is the truth," Seth joined the conversation, his eyebrows knitting together in slight confusion as to why Jack didn't believe them. "Really? Well you don't look like aliens."

"Well what do aliens look like Jack Bruno?" Sarah asked also in confusion. "You know what aliens look like! They look l-like the little green people with antennas and laser guns and the 'take me to your leader earthling', mhooh." He seemed to be losing all sanity at the thought of the two actually being aliens from another planet, so Terra gently placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down before he went any further. "He requires some sort of proof. He thinks we're insulting his intelligence," Sarah faced Seth with a questioning tone. "Ya think?! You can't just the _we're aliens_ BOMB just like that on somebody! And I know I've seen some pretty weird things today, but you cannot expect me to believe_"

Sarah lifted her hand in silence, causing all the contents of the front seat to begin floating in the air around Jack's head. Terra watched, slightly amused that he hadn't figured it out sooner and grinned as he averted his eyes from the sight before him. "I have the ability to move objects with my mind," Sarah explained. "That's impossible." "No, it's quite possible, on our planet as well as yours though you don't do it because you haven't learned to use your full brain capacity." "No, I don't do it causes it's kinda creepy and I would really like you to stop," he whimpered which caused Sarah to flip her palm, dropping all the objects. Taking a deep breath after what he'd just witnessed, Jack looked back up to the kids, mostly watching Terra who sat there completely fine with everything seen in that moment.

"Jack Bruno!" Sarah directed their eyes out the windshield where a large set of lights like the Siphon's before flew in their direction. Scrambling to grab the keys, Jack repeatedly cranked the cab; the engine making several different noises, none what they wanted to hear. "Come on! Come on!" he shouted as the lights kept getting closer. Seth squeezed Terra's hand tightly as she did the same, all of them waiting for when they would face the end until an unexpected horn blared from the passing truck. Everyone soon calmed down after the false alarm where Jack was able to start the cab and begin down the street.

* * *

It was what felt like hours before they saw lights ahead, casting the image of what appeared to be a small town with a faded wooden sign reading 'Welcome to Stoney Creek'. Travelling down the empty streets, Jack lastly spotted an open garage, steering into the entrance as smoke started seeping out the back of the cab. All of them piled out of the vehicle, standing in the dim atmosphere which allowed Seth and Sarah to examine the various amounts of car parts placed around the area. Seth pulled Terra closely to his side, their hands still woven together where Sarah stepped in front of the redhead like a shield if anything were to happen.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Jack let his eyes roam the garage, waiting for a response. "Hey, we're closed," a weak voice sounded from behind a counter covered in dust. "Ah, there you are. Yeah, I know you're closed but we experienced a little bit of car trouble so I was hoping_" "We're still closed. You should experience car trouble when we're open," the short round-bellied mechanic stood from his old desk chair. "Well, I'll work on that next time. This time, I really need you to_" "Jack Bruno," Sarah caused him to pause, "The only thing that will convince Eddie Cortez to reopen for business will be a significant amount of money." "Hey wait a minute," Eddie stepped closer to them, "Do I know you?" "No, no, absolutely not, you don't know them from anywhere. I'll pay you double your rate." Jack held out the wad of cash Seth had handed him previously, receiving a reaction from Eddie as he stepped out from behind the tool shelves. "Why not triple?" he huffed sarcastically. "Done."

Rather confused with Jack, Eddie suddenly spotted the taxi cab parked in his garage; the yellow sides completely dented and practically black from the first fight with the SUVs. "What'd you do, get in a fight with a rhinoceros?" he began chuckling, "Poor rhino." Jack started laughing casually, followed by the failed attempts of the three teenagers where he shook his head to get them to stop. "Man, I don't even know where to start with this baby." "Well, where you could start is by replacing the front shocks and the tirades, patch up the radiator, fix the exhaust and if you have four tires we'll take those too," Terra sounded out from behind Seth, catching everyone's gaze where she shyly shrugged. "What? I know cars." "You've got one hour." The side view mirror fell from the cab, breaking against the hard concrete where Jack then turned back to the teenagers. "Who's hungry?"

They walked up and down the sidewalks of the seemingly empty town, only to find one place open this late; a little restaurant called Ray's that was hosting a karaoke contest that night, just their luck. The group entered only to see numerous people dressed in southern attire out on the dance floor while a band was up on stage bringing the music. "Come on," Jack pointed over to an empty table where they had to navigate through the large crowd of people. Terra watched Seth as he and his sister looked around, studying the human customs with great interest before they all sat down at the table.

Seth made sure to have Terra sit at his side, pulling her chair a little closer where they could still hold hands for he had noticed she was still shaking from the earlier events. Sarah seated herself next to Jack who faced Seth, "I hope you do not act upon your thoughts of making a fast break for the back door, taking Terra and escaping Stoney Creek; never to look back at us again." "H-how do you know that?" Jack looked between the blonde siblings where Seth leaned forward, "My sister also has the gift of telepathy, she can read the minds of those nearest to her." "Really? Well, you can tell your sister that here on Earth, reading minds, very rude." Terra couldn't help but chuckle at Jack's face as he looked to Sarah and told her not to do that.

"Hey guys," their waitress walked over, setting down four glasses of water as she fetched the straws from her apron. "Welcome to Ray's, my name is Tina and I'm gonna be your server." Her dark eyes then moved to the teens, studying each one with a bit of intrigue coming over her face. "Wow, look at the three of you." "Uh…w-what do you mean look at the three of them, I mean uh, t-they look like three innocent all-American kids." Jack stuttered out, receiving a look from Terra which said something like _'that was very smooth'_. "Well they look like they just rolled around in a pig pen right before dinner, is all." "Evening Tina," an older police man nodded her way. "Evening Sheriff Anthony, your table's waiting for you," Tina motioned to a large booth in the back corner, where at least five or six police men walked around their table to get to their seats.

Terra's shoulders heightened from anxiety, praying silently that they wouldn't be discovered after they'd come so far and Seth lightly squeezed her hand to help her settle down. "I'm gonna send you a round of Frito fries, huh?" Tina spoke with her head turned back to the Sheriff as he nodded, "Sounds good." "Now," she faced the three of them once again, "Why don't you three come with me, and I can get ya all cleaned up, okay?" "Hurry back," Jack warned as the three rose from the table.

* * *

Seth didn't like having to let go of Terra's hand as Tina directed both her and his sister into a female marked room, leaving him to walk on his own down to the male marked room at the end of the hall. He'd realized what happened between him and Terra the moment it did in the beginning of their cab ride, though he tried to ignore the new feelings that filled his chest as much as possible for fear that Terra was actually human. Yet with each minute they spent together, he saw more and more of something inside her that was recognizable as a citizen born from their home planet, Sigon. If she was truly from their planet as they were, how would she not know? Or if she did, why hadn't she told either him or his sister Sarah about it? _"No, no, she doesn't know," _he thought to himself, _"Sarah would've detected it when reading her thoughts." _Then how could Terra not know?

Frustrated with how everything was turning out, Seth looked up from his place at one of the white sinks, seeing himself in the mirror for the first time that whole day; dirt was smudged all over his face while a thin coat of dust covered his short blonde hair. Uncertainly pulling one of the papers from a machine stuck on the wall just as he saw a man do before him, Seth wet the material just a bit and began to wipe away the smudges on his face, feeling the hole in his chest grow when Terra wasn't near. Her smell clung to his clothing, the sweet scent of some human thing many people called vanilla, and as he stood there, Seth started wondering what the two girls were doing now in the other room.

* * *

"Twin what?!" Terra practically yelled after hearing Sarah's explanation for why she had the sudden feelings for Seth. "It's called Twin Soul, a condition all occupants of our home planet possess once they turn sixteen. Seth's coming of age was just a few months ago and since then he knew it could be anyone found as his mate, but as soon as I saw that look you and my brother shared in the taxi, I was certain, you are from Sigon as well!" "That's impossible, I_" "Is it truly, Terra? Your thoughts show that you have never known your Mother, possibly from the crash landing your parents may have had when they first arrived; it's a very dangerous process especially with all the humans who hunt our kind. Your memories also read that your Father died not long ago, showing signs of a mysterious and indescribable death which are the results of losing one's mate. Your Father survived so long after your Mother's death because he had you, you were a constant reminder, a piece of her! And it kept him going until it wasn't enough to satisfy his lonely soul." "No," she whispered, tears filling her green eyes, "No that's not true!" "Terra," Sarah delicately touched her shoulder, spinning the girl around to face her while brushing a piece of rubble out from the mess of long red waves that she had released once undoing the braid.

"You know what I'm saying is true, you've always doubted Earth being your home, well now the facts point to the truth. You were right! Possessing Sigonian blood means you are able to be my brother's mate, and he is yours. There is much I have to explain, along with Seth, but now is not the time. Jack is waiting for us." Though still so full of questions, Terra nodded as the two headed back out the bathroom door, only to find Seth standing in the hall, staring at the dirt that covered his sneakers.

"Sarah," his voice sounded nervously, "Will you give me a few minutes alone with Terra?" A mischievous little grin passed over the small blonde's face as she nodded, starting back to the table which left Terra alone with Seth. Her heart was beating a mile per minute, she was almost sure Seth would be able to hear it even without and enhanced senses. "Listen, I…" he started, soon forming a smile when his eyes caught sight of a blush covering her cheeks. "I know this was terrible timing…but, I_" "Sarah explained most of it to me," Terra stared down at her combat boots, noticing how terrible the leather looked now after having been through their entire journey. She tried to wipe away the small tears that dripped from her eyes without Seth noticing, but unfortunately he did; taking a hold of her wrist, he tilted her chin up with the other and inspected the watery fluid in her eyes. "Why are you leaking?" Terra began to laugh, pulling out of his grasp with a weak smile as she dried up the rest of her tears. "It's nothing, I swear, I'm okay." Seth seemed to watch her, seeing if what she had told him was true before he continued, "Terra, I know it's not at all what you - or myself, were expecting when it came to this mission, but...I-I do want to make this work." He found it extremely hard to express his feelings, even though Terra had now raised her beautiful green eyes to meet his. "You are my mate," Seth took her hand with a smile, "I will do whatever I can to protect you throughout this journey, and maybe afterwards we can figure the rest out." She giggled, the noise sounding like music to his ears which made his smile widen. How he wanted to keep making her smile and laugh, she was so beautiful when she was happy.

Broken from his thoughts when she turned to walk back to the table, Seth pulled her back to his side amounting in another small giggle. Pausing in the middle of the hall with Terra's back pressed against his chest, he brought his lips close to her ear with a grin, "And not even Jack Bruno will come in between me and my mate, I'll make sure of it." Seth had to resist the urge to chuckle when he felt shivers carry throughout her spine, though Terra did turn and continue over to the table like he hadn't said a word. Oh, his mate was going to be quite fun to mess with...


	4. Chapter 4: Trusting a Human

Chapter 4

After Tina showed the teens back to the table, where they found Jack Bruno abruptly ending a phone call when sitting down, Terra noticed how, of course, the cab driver's eyes instantly went to her and Seth's joined hands, making the girl tense. Jack sat forward, placing his elbows on the table with a sigh, "You know, I think it would be_" "Best for everyone if Seth and I found another ride?" Sarah finished, knowing his answer before he said it. "Seriously, you gotta stop doing that." "Jack Bruno, it is understandable that you are scared and confused considering all that's occurred today_" "I'm not scared," Jack attempted to appear nonchalant, though Sarah could see straight through his mask. "J-Just a little confused," he stuttered out after seeing her unimpressed look, "But the bottom line is, is that you guys n-need someone from-from NASA or the air force, not me."

"If you abandon us now, our mission will be in serious jeopardy," Sarah's eyes seemed desperate, causing a bit of guilt to come over Jack's face. "Hey look, I'm just trying to be honest here, okay? I'm the wrong guy." "A wise human once said, 'you are what you think you are'," Sarah quoted, still studying Jack as if he were about to run away. "Yeah well, why don't you find that guy and ask him?" "It was the Buddha, he is unavailable," Seth spoke seriously though Terra found it funny once making the connection in her head. "How is it that beings on your planet can be so large, yet feel so small inside?" Sarah carefully placed her hand over Jack's, watching him intently, "Maybe you need help too Jack Bruno."

Seth glanced over to Terra beside him, making sure his mate was okay for her hand was again shaking in his. Yet that one gesture of reassurance caught Jack's eye, where his attention then shifted to them, "And what's going on with you two? You've been acting strange." "Jack_" "That is none of your concern," Seth barked, defensive when it came to the topic of his mate. "It is my concern, because Terra is my responsibility and I don't want any alien relationships forming in my presence! So Terra, stay away from Seth." A silent staring contest went on between the two males as Seth began to grind his teeth in anger, "You will **NOT **keep me from my mate."

Widening his eyes in surprise, Jack looked between the furious blonde teenager and the young redhead who repeatedly tried to calm the boy down. "Seth," she cooed, stroking the back of his tight fist with her fingertips. "Seth, please…" Terra scooted closer, touching his shoulder which caught the boy's attention. Immediately his eyes softened, losing their hard glare as Terra nuzzled her head on his shoulder, keeping him calm as the waitress Tina brought around burgers for them all. "All right, Ray's deluxe burgers, a side of fries and a couple of milkshakes, the best this side of Stoney Creek. Eat up kids!" Jack didn't eat, he didn't even attempt to at least seem like he was interested in the food set before him, but instead spent the next few minutes watching the two until Tina had left. "What is going on? What did he mean _mate_?" "It seems my brother and your Terra are mates, it is a custom on our planet that when a male turns sixteen he is subjected to a condition called Twin Soul where the hunt then begins for any citizen to find their mates. Only people born from our planet can experience the connection between mates, which means_" "Terra's from your planet," Jack finished, piecing together the parts in his mind.

With his mouth slightly ajar, Jack stared at Terra in disbelief. "How did – I mean, did you know?" "No, no, I didn't," she scrambled to find words, "I mean, think about it Jack. My father was always an odd bird as it was, and I never even knew my mother…it makes more sense than just being known some a crummy orphan." "Then what does that mean for her?" Jack turned his attention back on Seth, pressuring the young boy with his eyes. "Terra will return to Sigon with Sarah and I, where we will complete the stages of mating it takes for the couples to truly be together." Seth answered truthfully, studying his mate beside him for any reaction to the news. "And what are those stages?" "Jack," Terra hissed, "This isn't something we should be discussing here."

Lastly remembering they were out in the open, he released a deep sigh and glanced to the windows around the restaurant. "Great, just great…" His phone began to ring in his jacket pocket, alerting everyone at the table as he put it to his ear. "Dominic, I told you already_" Jack stopped, seemingly surprised by whoever was on the other line. He stood from the table, gesturing that he would return in a minute, "Who is this?" Terra looked to Seth with worry written all over her face; she knew something bad was about to happen. They all watched as Jack peered through the shades covering the front window of the restaurant, him still talking into the phone as he tossed a glance back to them.

"Seth, something's wrong," Terra announced, straightening in her seat while the siblings just watched.

"They're here for us, aren't they?" Sarah stood followed by Seth, who pulled Terra to her feet as Jack returned to the table. The look in Jack's eyes seemed to communicate that he was contemplating lying to them but finally answered, "Yeah, they are." Starting to walk over to the table of local policemen, Jack didn't give them a second thought as Seth pulled Terra closely to his side. "I knew we couldn't trust him Terra." "Excuse me Sheriff," he tapped the man's arm. "We have to run," Seth pulled at Sara's arm urgently, receiving only a firm reply while she stood her ground. "Wait," she stared openly at Jack before he turned, motioning them all over to his side. "Come on. Come on." Mixing into the large crowd of people, they watched the entrance warily as several men in black suits walked inside the restaurant, sticking out like sour thumbs compared to all the country-dressed folk.

Jack pulled them closer to the front exit, attempting to maneuver in a way that would take them around the whole restaurant as a confrontation between the local Sheriff and the well-dressed men began out on the dance floor. In between the dancing figures, Terra was able to see the numerous suited men fan their circle around the Sheriff like they were preparing to attack; and just as predicted, after several words were passed she couldn't make out, every FBI agent pulled a gun out on the local authority. Everyone stilled, along with the disappearance of the band's music, while they suddenly realized Stoney Creek's police men now held guns at the back of the other men; a surprisingly smart tactic.

"This is not good," Jack whispered, turning the kids back around to start another way before noticing Tina who stood just behind them. Putting a finger to her lips, she motioned another direction, "Follow me." Terra adored how Seth instantly knew when to take her hand, as if he could read her thoughts like his sister; it always seemed to calm her wavering nerves, especially in a situation like this. "Up there," Tina pushed open a wooden door to reveal a ladder leading out onto the roof. A small 'thank you' was passed from Sarah to Tina where she then nodded with a grin, "Good luck."

Terra couldn't quite make sense of that comment, wondering if Tina knew already what they were running for or if another reason had caused her to help them. Either way, her eyes then focused on Jack who climbed up to the small door shut over the opening above. "It's locked from the outside," he grunted when pushing against the lid, "We've gotta find another way – hey, hey, hey!" Seth ignored his statement, climbing up the ladder where his hand phased through the door and searched for the lock. Within seconds, he had the lid pushed away from the opening and then turned to help Terra up after him. "Or we could do that," Jack whispered sarcastically while watching Sarah begin to climb the ladder, "Whatever _that _is." "My brother has the ability to control his molecular density, which allows him to phase through solid objects or withstand the greatest of impacts." "It's neat," he replied after Sarah's brief explanation, "Real neat."

Jogging across the roof, they all knew by now their little police distraction would no longer help, which led to the four then hopping onto a carport roof and lastly onto a mobile home. Jack leapt down, slowing Seth's decent when he jumped next along with Sarah's though the boy insisted he catch Terra. The two stared at each other for a bit with Seth still holding Terra the way he caught her before a dog's angered bark broke through their thoughts; they turned to see a large canine snarling at the sight of them in its territory. With its sharpened fangs bared for them to see, its tan fur was noticeably standing on edge from its defensive stance. "Hey there little fella," Jack attempted to coax the dog until seeing it run towards him. His arms flew upward, crossing in front of his face as some sort of protection having not seen the dog trot straight up to Sarah without an ounce of anger.

"We appreciate your understanding," she spoke through the slobber collecting on her face as the dog continued to lick around her chin. Terra looked back to Jack with a smirk as he avoided her amused expression. "Let's go," Sarah and Seth started towards the wooden fence encasing the backyard, where they then chanced a look around to see if the men had come out of the restaurant.

* * *

"Time's up, we gotta go," Jack called to Eddie who lay bent over the engine of the cab. "Whoa, I've still gotta a lot of work to do under the_" Sarah closed the hood of the taxi with a simple movement as the three teenagers slid into the backseat once more. Jack ducked into the driver's seat, extending a hand through the open window. "Next time we're in town, we'll make an appointment." "Y-You want my card or_" "No," he sped out of the garage, back onto the street. Several black SUVs were blocking the road ahead of them with padded soldiers standing around each side, making it even more difficult for Jack to navigate through without being stopped. "There's too many of them_" Sarah suddenly threw her hand in the direction of one vehicle, causing a large explosion to send the SUV up in flames; she repeated the action numerous times, destroying every car in their way. "Whatever you're doing," Jack shouted, "Keep doing it!"

Finally away from the battlefield, the cab sped up as they turned onto a back road. "Say goodbye to Stoney Creek!" Unbeknownst for Jack, Sarah forced the taxi to a stop, pushing the door open long enough for the dog from before to jump into the backseat as the driver muttered to himself. "Sarah, Sarah are you doing this?" Jack turned around just enough to see the dog that had wedged himself in between Sarah and Terra. "Oh no, absolutely not! This – junkyard, is not going with us! I am done picking up stray passengers!" Interrupted by several bullets hitting the back of the cab, Jack pressed onwards with a grimace masking his face.

Minutes passed, where they then pulled off the main road and back onto bumpy gravel before Jack spoke again, "Those guys who were chasing us, they're the same ones from the highway right?" "Yes," Sarah nodded while stroking the dog's fur. "It is vital that you take us to their base of operation," Seth leaned forward the way he seemed to do whenever talking to Jack. "You want me to take you to the guys who were trying to kill you? Let me explain to you how we do things here, on Earth, people who want you dead you avoid. That way you," Jack shrugged as if it were a casual answer, "Stay alive. Make sense?"

"Well no one on your planet will _stay alive _if we do not return to our planet. In order to return, we need our ship. Those men who are trying to kill us have stolen our ship," Seth burned a hole in the back of Jack's head with his eyes, "Make sense?" "Where do you suggest we begin our search?" Sarah lastly broke the tension brewing between the two. "I don't suggest we begin searching at all," Jack corrected, "I do suggest that we go back to Vegas and I drop you off right where you got on." "It's just as I thought, no human is going to help us Sarah." Seth's grip grew tighter around Terra's hand as his eyes lowered to meet hers, "Especially not this human."

"Hey, hey, easy on the human bashing okay? Some of my best friends just happen to be human," Jack seemed to be thinking as he spoke, "And even if I were to help you, I-I don't know where to begin. I don't know anything about UFOs or-or aliens or_" "Who's Dr. Alex Freidman?" Sarah stopped him with a curious look. "She's actually someone who could help," he nodded, looking back to Seth, "And for the record, she happens to be _human_."


	5. Chapter 5: Dr Alex Freedman

Chapter 5

Hey guys, I apologize for this chapter taking a little longer to upload, I had it done for a quite some time but I went out of town for a while and the internet access was terrible so… But I just wanted to say, thank you guys so much for the incredibly positive feedback, it really gets me excited to work on future chapters! Enjoy this one and please remember to favorite and follow, it would really make me happy!

* * *

Terra had never seen this much open landscape before; it was like the brush-covered hills and gravel road never stopped. They had been riding for at least an hour since leaving Stoney Creek and all was quiet in the cab except for Junkyard's occasional rumble of pleasure whenever Terra scratched behind his ear. The dog was surprisingly calm the whole ride, and ended up lying out on the floorboards in between the two girls while sticking his head up beside Jack in the front seat. Eventually though, he began growling towards Jack, annoying the cab driver.

"Sarah," he stated plainly. "He would appreciate you pulling over so he can relieve himself," she piped up from the back. "Well we don't have time for that," Jack smirked to himself, "He should've went before we left Stoney Creek." "He's displeased with your attitude." "Really? Is that the way he feels?" he grumbled out sarcastically as Terra laughed. "Well you remind him that I'm a man and he's a _dog_…and I'm not about to have this or any conversation with a _dog_. So my answer is still no." "Jack, you could just pull over for a little bit," Terra suggested while sitting forward. "No! No, absolutely not! I will not have all of you take the side of a canine! My answer is no, and that is final!"

Within a matter of minutes, the cab was parked on the gravel road with both Sarah and Jack standing just outside their doors waiting for Junkyard, leaving Terra and Seth all to themselves in the backseat. "Are you sure we should be heading to their base? It's a very risky move, Seth." Her hope-filled green eyes looked up to him as he turned, angling his body more towards Terra for them to continue talking. It was moments like these she enjoyed the most on this adventure, getting time alone with Seth just to talk, and he seemed to relax during this time as well compared to how he was normally. "It is our only way home Terra, they have our ship." "Yes, but to go in ourselves? What if we get caught?" "Don't worry about them," he gently took her hand, loving the chill that accompanied her pale white skin whenever they made contact, "I'll protect you."

A smile curved her pink lips upward as she scooted closer into his warmth, toying with their joined hands which allowed her to evade his intense gaze. "I know you will…" she released with a sigh, "But I can't help but worry about_" "What?" he stopped her, concern coloring his voice, "What else is there for you to worry about?" Terra continued to stare downward, whimpering a bit at how idiotic she must sound as the next words escaped her mouth, "You mentioned…these mating stages…?" Seth chuckled softly, taking note of the dark red shade that coated her cheeks as he did so. "Terra, the mating stages are nothing for you to fret over either." "Maybe, but I would like to know a little more about what is involved," she pouted, feeling her chest constrict with anxiety when Seth tilted her head up to face him.

"First," he practically purred, "You must accept me as your mate, just as I accept must you, which we clarify with a kiss as humans call them." Seth noticeably moved closer, his head ducking just a bit to amount to her height. Terra's heart began to thud in her chest, the tips of her ears burning with a heat of sudden giddiness and embarrassment that she had never imagined before.

"Next," he continued, resting a palm along her knee, "I will mark you; it is a custom in Sigon which allows all other males to know you are mated. It is not like you may be thinking, not a bite or scratch of some kind, but instead an actual imprinting of my symbol into your skin." The sudden feel of his good-smelling breath on her neck caused Terra to squirm, her body had started tingling from his close proximity and she couldn't take the thoughts overwhelming her brain. What was he doing to her? The very thought of his marking made Terra incredibly nervous yet at the same time feel safe, knowing he wanted no other man to come near her. She was broken from her thoughts by Seth's hand tenderly stroking her cheek as she pressed herself further into the cab's backseat.

"And I think you can imagine what comes next," he whispered, lips grazing her ear. Terra couldn't think, it seemed like every part of body had frozen in place with just those few words and she stared wide-eyed up at Seth. She had never taken the time to actually examine him before, though she knew it sounded kind of funny, but just taking one look at Seth's broad shoulders and lean chest, and the teen was suddenly struck dumb by the whole situation. Out of everyone on Earth, Seth had eyes for only her, and she felt so loved knowing it. Unknowingly her hands ran up the front of his chest to his shoulders, feeling the muscle underneath while her mind was elsewhere. "And with these...stages, are they completed all at once?" her voice wavered out of anxiety, making the boy chuckle more as he touched Terra's forehead with his own, "Whatever my mate wants..."

Seth seemed to know what was going through his mate's head and smiled, leaning a bit closer as though they were to complete the first stage of mating right then and there had it not been for Jack and Sarah returning to their seats. Uncoiling from around Terra, he sat back, giving her some space to take in what they had just talked about. Sarah looked at the girl, processing the thoughts she could see and grinned which caused the blush on Terra's face to deepen.

"Junkyard says thank you," Sarah gripped Jack's shoulder as he restarted the cab. "Did he now? Is there anything else he wants?" he questioned with a hidden anger fueling his voice. "He said he would love a bone or a meaty treat?" "Top of my to-do list," Jack ended their discussion while continuing their drive forward.

* * *

It wasn't long before the tall decorative buildings of Las Vegas once again appeared around them while driving down a compacted highway. Signs advertising all sorts of UFO and alien conventions were plastered everywhere, leaving plenty for the blonde siblings to study as Jack drove. They then pulled into a parking space underneath a long stretch of glass revealing the tall casino they were about to enter, with all kinds of people calling out to the dozens of other taxis around them. Jack hopped out of the vehicle that was ready to fall to pieces followed by the teens as he rummaged through his pockets.

Walking up to a valet, Jack pulled several of the bills from the wad he had and handed them to the short man. "Hey, I need to keep the cab close and give the dog some water. And uh," he looked back as Junkyard began to bark from his place at the front seat, "Give him a meaty treat." Though he seemed fairly confused, the valet nodded, inspecting the cash handed to him as they walked inside.

The interior was far more impressive than the outside, with all the bright lights and signs; it was rather amazing to examine while following Jack. Terra had never been inside a casino like this one before; most of the places she visited during her free time with Jack were crummy restaurants or the abandoned bowling alley a few miles out of town where she could sneak in. True, it was empty of everything a normal bowling alley had, but she had managed to scrounge together a couple pins and found a bowling ball out of a mess of boxes, so it wasn't a complete waste of time. "Okay," Jack let out a long breath, throwing his arm across the girls' shoulders which Seth immediately rejected too. "Do not touch my mate." "Fine, fine," he rolled his eyes, putting his arm around Seth instead as the boy clung to Terra's hand. "Stay close to me. Don't talk to anyone, be nice and normal." They mounted the steps of an escalator which carried them slowly to the next floor, where even more crazy things were there for them to feast their eyes on.

After stopping several times to get directions, Jack led them into a dark room where many chairs were placed to watch the presentation being displayed at the front. A short, young woman stood behind a podium in the back of the room speaking into a microphone while trying to draw the attention of the crowd to some detail mixed in with a bunch of stars. Though Terra couldn't hear many of the words passed, as soon as practically everyone rose from their seats and filed out to leave, she couldn't help but feel a little bad for the woman and how no one wanted to listen. As the lights came back on and she began to collect her things, Jack started down the side of the room straight to the stage.

"The cattle mutilation lecture doesn't start for an hour, grab a seat, this place will be packed," she gestured out sarcastically, "It always is." "We're here to see you actually," he finalized. "Oh, huh," she faked a smile while dismounting the few steps to the main floor. "It's Jack Bruno, we met, you know from earlier?" "We did?" she didn't seem convinced. "Cab…airport, hotel," he tried to make sense of it all, "Driver?" "Ah," her dazed smile widened, "The non-believer, huh? What're the odds?" "Hey, is there some place we could talk?" Her eyebrows knitted together as she looked out to the now-empty space around them, "Why? The uh, crowds in here making you uncomfortable?" "Even more private than this," he pleaded slightly. "Look, no offense, but I'm pretty_" "She's doubting her thesis of Gleeson 5-81, Alcoa-veer's war try," Sarah made her presence known with the simple explanation though the way Dr. Freedman's eyes turned to her, Terra wasn't so sure she should've done that. "H-How did you know that?" "Oh, it gets a lot better," Jack grinned, "Trust me."

Dr. Freedman led them into a closed exhibit in the middle of the convention, giving them all plenty enough space to fit in and move around though they were shadowed by red because of the drapes everywhere. "Are you insane?" she hissed after listening to Jack's rough explanation of everything that had happened. "I just thought you of all people would understand and want to help." "Why, because I'm the nutjob speaking at the UFO convention?" Stopping Jack before he uttered a word, she shook her head, "Don't answer that."

"I know it sounds really crazy_" "Ya think?" her dark eyes traveled to the three teens as they leaned over her laptop displaying the star-filled picture from before. "Hey," she caught their attention, "Please don't touch that." "You captured an image of our ship," Seth held the electronic for them to see. "The smudge?" she raised an eyebrow, "You're telling me you think the smudge is your spaceship?" "No, we don't think it is our spaceship, we _know _it is our spaceship." Sarah nodded excitedly. Dr. Freedman turned back to Jack while licking her teeth in annoyance, "That's it, I'm out. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll just grab my laptop and_"

The device phased through Seth's hands as she tried to grab it, nearly hitting the floor had it not been for Sarah's quick thinking. Lifting her hand as the laptop remained floating in the air, Sarah plopped it right back in Alex's arms while she stood there silently looking between the three of them. "Oh, they can also do…all this stuff too," Jack sighed over her shoulder.

"Who are you?" Alex released after finally regaining her breath. Sarah immediately looked to Seth across the podium with a short nod, "Show her." Letting go of Terra's hand to pull out the small device once used at the shack in the beginning of their journey, he placed it on the surface of the stand and pressed a button which spread all the lights as they flung themselves on the walls. It was amazing, hands down the most beautiful thing Terra had ever seen as she rotated completely to see the map of outer space and all its planets. Stars flew around above her head along with asteroids and comets, and she could've sworn she spotted the Milky Way soar by; though she wasn't near as excited as Dr. Freedman who had to hold back a squeal of happiness while examining all the revolving planets.

"This is…huge! I have so many questions," at first Alex grasped Terra's arm which instantly triggered Seth who she had to hold back, "Even though you are the answers here, standing right in front of me!" Noticing the unwelcoming demeanor, her eyes lastly went to Sarah to get her answers. Jack cleared his throat which managed to catch her attention briefly as if to say 'take it easy' where Alex then took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, j-just very excited. Right so…where are you from?" Sarah pointed to a planet hovering just beside her head, "Our planet is located some three thousand light-years from Earth." "Space travel of such sizable distance_" "Is possible using a paradoxical passage in the_" "Wormholes!" Dr. Freedman interrupted Seth just as he had done her, though Terra didn't think she meant too. "That's it! My presentation at the Solar National convention was right! Inter-solar travel is possible using wormholes as a shortcut through space!" "That was my first guess as well," Jack ducked his head, attempting not to be hit by a passing meteor shower, "The uh, wormholes. Continue Doctor."

Terra smirked his way, knowing either he was trying to impress Dr. Freedman or just being sarcastic which both seemed likely. "Why did you come to Earth?" she directed her question again towards Sarah. "Our planet is dying, millennia of neglect has rendered out atmosphere unbreathable," she confessed. "Well that sounds familiar," Alex nodded. "Our parents are scientists who have studied Earth's changing climates, in hopes of finding a solution for our planet's future," Seth stepped forward. "Our people's fears began to rise and then our parents discovered something our leaders were very interested in," Sarah slightly grinned at the memory of her parents. "Your planet…makes a suitable living environment for our kind," Seth looked between the two humans, "It would be simplest to leave our dying planet and…occupy yours."

"Okay, so wait, I'm helping conquer my own planet?" Jack questioned. "No," Sarah shook her head, "Most of the people on our planet are fiercely opposed to this plan." "But fear of extinction triumphs over our people," Seth interjected. "But then our parents discovered a solution, an experiment here at an outpost was successful at regenerating life into all previously dying plants and trees," Sarah explained, piecing the last bits of the puzzle together for them. "Which would help in the re-oxygenating of your poisoned atmosphere," Dr. Freedman nodded as though she understood. "So-so what's the problem?" Jack turned back to them. "Our military," Seth stated, "They prefer a solution of invasion over science." "Which is why we had to hurry and retrieve the experiment," Sarah pulled the small device from her jacket pocket to show to them, "All proof that our planet can be saved, and your planet spared is in here." "Where are your parents again?" Terra looked up at Seth curiously. "They were arrested for their opposition," Sarah answered her, followed by Seth, "We agreed to complete the task for them." "And what about the assassin?" Jack referenced back to earlier events. "W-wait, assassin? What assassin?" Dr. Freedman studied them all intently as if what she had just heard was a joke. "A Siphon warrior series A75 was created by our military," Sarah kept it short. "They're bred to hunt?" Alex asked hopefully which Seth faced her in full seriousness. "They're bred to kill. And if we don't return back home in time, the invasion will proceed." "We seriously need to find your spaceship," Dr. Freedman nodded along with them all as they turned to leave the exhibit.


	6. Chapter 6: Dr Harlan

Chapter 6

**Hey guys, first off I want to start by saying that I'm sorry for making you wait longer than usual for this next chapter. I failed to mention that I would be going on vacation these last few weeks of summer in the previous author's note, but so you all know, I am back and ready to write more! Hopefully future chapters won't take me long to write and upload! Also I wanted to thank all of you for the awesome reviews I've been receiving, they really get me excited to write again and continue Alien Heart, as well as the people who have followed and favorited my story. Well, I'll quit blabbering and let you get back to the chapter you all have long awaited!**

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Walking out amongst the wildly-dressed people allowed Terra to feel almost normal for once this whole trip, literally the entire journey she spent her time either fretting over Seth or questioning how she could possibly be from Sigon. Come on, honestly, it all sounded very strange, but explained quite a lot. Glancing up to Seth beside her, Terra was happy to see how his blue eyes examined everything around them, his hand still wrapped tight around hers as if it were the only thing keeping him from floating away. After passing several more people in crazy costumes, she ushered the two blonde siblings closer to Jack and Dr. Freedman for they were falling a bit behind. "So how well do you know this guy?" Jack questioned while attempting to dodge a skinny young guy in a spikey purple wig.

"Oh, we've done a few panels and debates together – on opposite sides, but no one knows the shadowy world of government conspiracies better than Harlan," Dr. Freedman stiffly joked while totting what seemed like a heavy bag over her shoulder. An older man started out from around the side of a booth prepared to speak when Alex's hand shot up to stop him, "Not now, Whitley." A grin flitted across Terra's face in amusement before noticing the younger man standing ahead of them with a clipboard, surely this wasn't who they were looking for? "Well hello Dr. Freedman," he started off coolly, having seen the group approach him from the large crowd. Wearing a set of thick-framed glasses while sporting an unshaven jawline, there was no doubt in Terra's mind as to why Dr. Freedman slightly cringed at his greeting. "So you finally decided to accept my offer of a romantic Benny-Hunt dinner for two? Huzzah!" Slightly thrown off by his statement, Alex arched a brow in confusion, "What?"

With a bit of sadness reflecting behind the large lenses covering his eyes, the man attempted at an explanation after clearing his throat, "Three-uh, three years ago, the screening of the Cooper footage, you were in the fourth row, second seat in a saucy flower print." "Sorry, I keep my work and social life separate," she nodded nonchalantly, practically choking on her next words, "I don't – date, colleagues." "Ah, colleagues, indeed," he twirled his hand out to the side while bowing.

"Listen, we need to see Harlan right away." "Doc_" "Dr. Harlan is presently unavailable for consultation," another man stepped out from the shadows of an unused booth, stepping closely beside his apparent-friend with what seemed to be the ghost of a cocky grin on his face, "We're more than qualified to answer any questions you may have_" "There is no time for that, it is a matter of life and death that we see Harlan **now**," Dr. Freedman snapped. Terra shared an unsure gaze with Sarah beside her for several moments before the men's chuckling brought a bit of anger to the surface of them all. "Life and death, oh…" the bald one teased while looking at each other, "With her scary drama queen theatrics, what's the four-one-one sitch?"

Armed with another sharp comment ready to fire, Jack had to pull Alex aside so he could handle the situation. "You're currently alive," he stated, allowing the men to take in his large muscle-built frame before continuing, "Unless you take us to Harlan you'll be dead." Seconds of silence passed, allowing the two to think over his offer, where at the same time they both looked to each other in agreement. "Yeah, we should_" "Yeah, I think we should_" Mumbling soundlessly to themselves, the shorter one turned to lead them down the crowded hallway and through a doorway marked for permitted people only.

"Do you know this human they continue to talk about?" Seth whispered down to Terra, where she then shook her head. "I don't know him very well but I have heard of him on TV, and apparently he's the author of several different sci-fi, alien novels. According to Dr. Freedman, he should be able to help us learn more about where your ship is being kept." "Sci-fi?" he slightly tilted his head, causing Terra to giggle. "I'll explain that later," she squeezed his hand encouragingly as they were led out into the evening sunlight and down the dull concrete through a maze of trailers.

Lastly stopping in front of a mobile home marked with green stripes, the short man hurried to the door covered in stickers warning people away. "Go away," an irritated voice called from inside, "The book signing is not till four thirty! Read the brochure!" Terra studied the tinfoil-like covering crumpled around the vehicle's windows, blocking any possible way for them to view what was inside. "Harlan, it's Alex Freedman!" As if on cue, the door creaked open, revealing a wrinkly older man in a fishing vest; the smile plastered across his face was one of pure pompous energy like he were saying_ 'I knew you would come around'_. "Dr. Alex Freedman," he leaned against the door frame. "We need to speak with you immediately, it is incredibly important."

Once ushered into the small RV, Alex began to explain their predicament, but not enough to release any specific information about the three teens. Harlan had taken a seat in the back of the vehicle during her explanation, glancing around to the various computer screens covered in layers of paperwork and alien theory posters. "So you're saying, the four of you witnessed this reported crash?" Four of his fingers pointed out to all the teens and Jack as he nodded, "That's right." "We were wondering if there was any intel out there, amongst your sources?" Alex tried to make the question sound casual though a nervous tension caused her voice to waver towards the end.

"I hate lying. I really don't like lying," Harlan's cold, dark eyes travelled from Seth to Sarah, landing lastly on Terra who wedged herself a bit more behind the boy teen's shoulder. His very gaze seemed to inspect them all, and Terra began to wonder if he could hear her accelerated heartbeat. Did he know they were lying? What would he do if he did know? With all those anxious thoughts passing through her head, she hoped her expression hadn't changed in any way to signal deception. "I can tell when people are lying to me," he persisted, seeing if he could make any of them crack, "Thankfully, your story checks out with all the reports I got from Settee and Gorazde and NASA." You could practically feel the tension lift from the air around them all, leaving a small bit of relief in its place for the group.

"We have reason to believe a team of government sponsored covert operatives recovered the spacecraft," Seth talked down to Harlan who seemed a bit surprised for a teenager to be speaking to him in such a manner. "Okay, back up a little this is not space camp," Harlan ushered he back, "Let the experts do their work." Seth's confused expression immediately faced Jack and Dr. Freedman as they encouraged him to back away and keep quiet. Terra placed a hand along his shoulder with a faint smile, nodding in agreement with Alex as she gestured for them to say no more. Sarah's wide eyes travelled over to the two before returning to the older man as he spoke. "You know you're very lucky, you two, that you didn't come face-to-face with the aliens that were in that craft," he pointed to the two blondes, "They're like deadly praying mantises, they eat your flesh." With slight confusion yet more annoyance masking their faces, Sarah and Seth both drew their eyebrows together at the statement. "Oh, oh yes," Sarah stammered, "We are indeed lucky kids to not to have had our flesh eaten...by the aliens." Her eyes silently relayed the true message to her brother, who unsurely nodded as she finished.

"You got that right, okay!" Harlan spun back around to face his computers again, "Let's go to work here. I've got an email from a source that sent me this SAT gram." Pulling up a picture from what Terra recognized to be a satellite, Harlan typed away at the keyboard while Dr. Freedman stepped a bit closer. "W-where would they take the spaceship? Uh, Area 51, Nellis, Bright Patterson, Van don Burgh?" "Well from the size and scope of the crash, I would say there's only one possibility," Harlan turned in his worth desk chair, "Witch Mountain." Accompanied in the statement by the two men from before who stood near the doorway of the RV, Harlan's crow-like eyes narrowed, "What are we a singing group here? Let me talk and you guys know all_" "I apologize." "Yeah," "I'm sorry."

"Witch Mountain, let's take a look here," the old Doctor started typing once again, "California, about fifty miles west the border of Nevada…and it's one of our top secret facilities." All members of the group inched closer to the screen, examining the image pulled up as Harlan turned to face Dr. Freedman, "If you're planning on visiting, don't. When I say this place if fortified up to the yin-yang, I'm making an understatement. Here's the schematic, and do you have the book?" "Yes, I do," Alex clarified while taking hold of the blue prints, her smile growing as Harlan handed over a document displaying the aerial view of Witch Mountain. "Thank you Harlan, for everything." "Whatever trouble you're in," he stopped them on their way out, a look of complete seriousness shown on his face, "Trust no one."


	7. Chapter 7: Possession

Chapter 7

**Haha, you guys get two chapters in the same day! Does that make up for lost time? Oh and also, I wanted to mention that I saw Alexander Ludwig aka Seth, in a trailer for a new movie called Final Girl and boy did he look hot! Oh my gosh, I couldn't get over how he looked, so I just wanted to say that you guys could check it out on YouTube or whatever, and no I'm not sponsored by anyone to say this; he just looked too good not to tell anyone about it!**

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Returning to the crowded main floor of the casino, Alex led them all through the large amount of people before Sarah stopped them in their tracks. "Thank you, both of you. Seth and I understand that you don't have to move forward with us yet you choose two." "You're welcome," Alex smiled, her happiness seemingly sincere, "And don't worry, we're going to get you home, I promise." Seth looked down to Terra at his side as Alex faced Jack, "Now I'm going to go grab my stuff. Let's meet upstairs in my booth then we can_" "U-uh, Alex uh, listen," Jack kind of pulled her to the side, "I can't let you come with us." "What?" she wrenched her shoulder out from under his hand in surprise. "If what Harlan says is true, it's way too dangerous. They got in my cab, they're my problem." "Um, no," Terra knew she wouldn't let him leave her behind so easily, "I have spent my entire life preparing for this moment and now when I have two _actual _aliens in need of my help, you want me to walk away? It's not going to happen," she stared straight up into Jack's dark eyes without a single shred of fear at what would be ahead to color her voice, "Man up soldier, I'm in."

Jack stared down at her for several seconds, completely quiet with an expression of shock clear upon his face. "Just lay low until we meet up, okay?" "Sure," he watched her walk away while mumbling, "Lay low, easy. How hard could that be?"

"She thinks you're very handsome," Sarah stepped forward to be at his side. "Really?" "She thinks you're smarter than you think you are," the small blonde continued as Jack tried to appear like the news didn't please him. "So she was thinking about me huh?" "At least as much as you were thinking about her," Sarah corrected with a small innocent grin. "So…uh, she didn't happen to mention in her thoughts that she thought I was a total hu_" "It's time everybody!" A weirdly dressed man in a spider-like alien costume pointed behind them, "Space Champs forum number nine! It's upstairs now, come on!"

"Should we go upstairs now?" Seth asked genuinely curious. "Uh, yeah-yeah, let's go upstairs," Jack nodded, though Terra wasn't sure he even knew what Seth was talking about for he hadn't looked away from the direction Alex had travelled. Seth led Terra and his sister away, into a passing group of costume-dressed people before any of them got the chance to see if Jack was following. "Is this a celebration of some sort?" Sarah looked around, directing her gaze back to her brother's mate in question. "Sort of, it's mostly just a couple of days where people can dress up like whatever sci-fi character they want and not be ridiculed." "You still must explain sci-fi to me," Seth stated while mounting another escalator step that led to the third floor, pulling Terra closely beside him. She laughed a bit while watching the surroundings of the second floor shrink underneath them, "Science fiction, Seth, it's a kind of genre people read; most sci-fi books are set in places like space or the future where the characters meet aliens or perform time travel; stuff like that."

"Ah," Seth nodded as though he understood, which didn't quite convince his mate while she watched his blue eyes scour the space around them. "So a human event like this is only for entertainment?" Sarah quirked her sleek blonde eyebrow while brushing past two women wearing bright orange wigs with neon dresses. "Mostly, yes," Terra tilted her head in thought, "But I guess you could also consider an event like this somewhat educational for people who are invested in the topic of UFOs, conspiracy theories, and aliens. I saw that face you made when Harlan warned you of the _praying mantises_." Lightly tapping Seth's nose as they dismounted the escalator after reaching the third floor, he smiled down at her, a content gleam filling his blue eyes. "I hope you realize that our kind are not _flesh-eaters_, Terra. We have a stable diet much like humans except the food on Sigon is far healthier, and doesn't consist of any unnaturally grown products." "So you're vegetarians?" she asked with slight disgust, Terra couldn't imagine life without meat. "No," Seth chuckled, noticing her downhearted expression, "We have many different animals bred for food on our planet though they have practically all died from the lack of natural herbs they eat."

"Oh, well then, will you tell me more about Sigon?" "That can wait, Terra. As of right now, my sister and I are very interested in Earth's own cultural demeanor…" Seth eyed the groups of people crowding around a large stage. "I guess we could go see what they're doing over there," Terra started that way, followed by the blonde siblings where they all weaseled their way to the front, near the left corner of the stage. "Wait, where's Jack Bruno?" Sarah glanced around, just now realizing that Jack was nowhere to be seen. "I'm sure he'll find us as long as we stick together." Turns out, they had come in during the middle of the performance, meaning most of it didn't make sense, especially to Seth and Sarah, but as far as Terra could see it was some horrible reenactment of a scene in a sci-fi movie. "I sure hope we have enough fuel to get back to planet Earth, Conrad," the female actress gaped towards the audience, pulling her dorky-looking male partner over to her side with a fake look of worry. "Fear not, Celeste. We must get to the ship!" the actor pulled out a long purple sword, soon joined by the loud screech of another actor dressed in a terrible green alien costume. "Ah," the girl sprawled out across the stage, "My leg!" "Oh no, look at that beast from another galaxy!" A very poorly-planned explosion went off from behind a painted rock, causing the actors to gasp as if something terrible had happened as the monster drew closer. "Oh, how disgusting!"

"Didn't I tell you three to stay right by my side?" Jack's sudden presence caused Terra to jump, bumping right into his chest from the surprise. Sarah unable to take her eyes off the actors slightly shook her head, "Is this a reenactment of an important piece of Earth's history?" "No," Jack flat out told him after watching the male actor swing his purple sword around with vengeful words, "Now come on. Let's go, we gotta go." All three of them shot the stage one last glance as Jack tried to pull them back into the wall of people where an unexpected being stepped in the middle of the performance. "Seth," Terra whimpered, pulling at the sleeve of his jacket which caused Sarah to turn. "Jack Bruno," she whispered, loud enough to draw the cab driver's attention to the new presence on stage. Decked out in complete protective armor-like body wear from head-to-toe, the man's concealed head turned to stare straight at them. "Siphon!"

"Sarah!" Seth shouted over the applause with complete urgency, pulling his mate behind him in attempts to shield her away from the pain that was to come. As quickly as the soldier lifted his arm with a connecting gun, Sarah had lifted her palm towards the stage lighting just above their heads; throwing the metal piece down which knocked the Siphon off into the air, where he crash landed in an electronic sign, sending colorful sparks everywhere. "Let's go! Let's go!" Jack pulled them off into the crowd, running back to find Dr. Freedman. They managed to find a hidden door off to the side, right as a flood load of FBI agents sent everyone to the floor while waving guns around.

Jogging down a long set of stairs to the second floor, Jack carefully opened the door ahead, peeking out just enough to see if any of those agents where around before nodding to the teens behind him. They started off walking around casually, until Jack tried to turn a corner that led to the escalators where he instantly plastered his back up against the wall. "What? What is it?" Terra whispered from beside him. "Agents, we need to find another way," his eyes directed them into the compacted jungle of casino games, where they immediately took off, hoping they weren't spotted. Turning several corners in search of another doorway or stair well, Terra noticed a single FBI agent stalking closer, where panic began to flood her mind.

An unusual feeling prickled behind her ears and slowly crept into her head, where she could sense her body suddenly become weightless. "Terra?" Seth's voice shook in her head for it felt empty, her own name bounced off the sides of her consciousness causing a terrible ache to form. Then abruptly, she felt whole again, in control of her body as well as her mind though through her eyes she could make out the figures of all four of them; Seth, Sarah, Jack and…_herself? _What in the world was going on? Seth's face was distorted with concern while looking at her, though Terra couldn't make sense of it. Looking down at what felt like her hands, she saw instead rough clammy palms, not what she remembered to be her small pale hands. "Seth…what's going on?" her voice was not her own, it was a deep manly grumble that caused all their of their heads to snap up and face her though she knew they couldn't see her. "What happened?" she shakily studied the long black trench coat covering her broad shoulders, "Who am I?"

"Oh my god," Jack sounded each word individually as the blonde siblings looked to each other, then her own being that stood there facing the ground. "Terra," Sarah stepped forward uncertainly, "Is that you?" "Y-yes, I don't understand what's happening…h-how did I do this?" She flipped her hands over, examining the tanned skin cracked in several places only to find next a wedding ring on her left ring finger. "It's her powers," Seth nodded over to his sister who continued to approach Terra in this new state. "Yes, it is. I suppose being connected to her mate brought her powers out sooner than they would've naturally developed. Possession is very rare amongst the Sigonian community, yet we're lucky my telepathy can help reverse the effects of the transportation from being to being," Sarah lightly brushed against what felt like Terra's temple, immediately causing the process to start again before the teen found herself back in her own body.

Smiling at how her own hands appeared before her, Terra thanked Sarah before clinging tightly to Seth's arm at the notice of the FBI agent regaining consciousness. The man felt his head, questioning what had just happened where Jack pushed them all out of his line of sight before he realized they were there. "Oh my gosh, I have powers!" Terra whispered excitedly which caused Seth to chuckle just a bit before returning to his serious face while turning a corner. Suddenly agents were everywhere once again, blocking off each and every passageway around the casino space, which left the group in the middle looking for a way out. "Sarah," Jack called, "Are you listening to what I'm thinking?" Thrusting her arms out to the side in one swift movement, every lotto machine unexpectedly stopped; each and every one dinging like crazy as they announced the player to be a winner. Everyone one gasped and started standing in surprise, which created the perfect distraction for the four of them to slip away while the agents attempted to navigate through the crowd. "Keep going! Keep going!" Jack shouted over the noise that seemed to multiple by the second, directing them toward the elevators where a familiar figure stepped out of the opening doors.

Jack took hold of Alex's shoulder causing the woman to jump, having been staring wide-eyed at all the people and buzzing machines. "We gotta move," he grabbed her bag and started back through the people. "What happened to laying low?!" Alex's voice was practically washed away by the surrounding noise, though she managed to keep a quick pace behind Jack. "Who lays low in Vegas?" Terra shouted from behind her.

"Wait," Alex grasped Jack's bicep as they reached the front doors of the casino, "I have an idea." "We don't have time for ideas, now let's move!" Jack proceeded to the glass doors before Sarah appeared right in front of him, "Jack Bruno, she has a plan that could actually help us escape undetected." The group conversed quickly once Jack agreed to listen, where Alex's plan actually began to take form in everyone's head. "I don't understand why we can't just use the cab?" the older man whined in annoyance. "They'll be looking for that, and if I know one thing it's that Harlan will be more than happy to help when it comes to something like this. Think about it Jack, we don't have much time before they find us. If the agents can be drawn away, we'll have plenty of time to scope out Witch Mountain." Silently thinking, the sight of all the agents sprinting down the steps quickly made up Jack's mind, where he pushed them all towards the door from earlier.

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It took only minutes before their plan was put into motion, and Terra could finally let out the breath she had been holding in anxiety. Harlan had traded his small RV for Jack's beat-up cab in agreement to Alex's plan, which meant the FBI would be thrown off their trail for a short time. The vehicle was surprisingly roomy compared to how it had seemed earlier, where the teens found a small cushioned bench hidden under the kitchen table next to Harlan's desk and a couch placed near the other wall next to the oven and microwave. Both Alex and Jack encouraged the teens to rest after everything they had been through, and even said that sleep would help prepare them for what was to come.

Shuffling around in the back, Terra sat on the table's bench expecting to see Sarah and Seth take the couch together, but no, the boy approached her casually. "Um, where do you think you're sleeping?" "Here, right next to my mate," he arched a brow as though the answer were clear. "No, no, no, no – no! Uh look, I don't know about the customs on Sigon, but here on Earth guys don't just – do that!" she fumbled over her words as Seth slid in next to her on the bench, "Are you even listening to me?" Terra let out a small squeal when Seth planted his hands on her waist, hoisting her up an inch or so in the air so he could slide up against the wall only to then plant her right in his lap. "Seth!" she started laughing softly as his arms locked around her waist like iron cage, "Seth, let me go!" "I'm afraid…there's nowhere else for you to rest, darling. Looks like you'll just have to settle for this, right here," he released a fake sigh while pretending to be oh-so-innocent making Terra laugh even more once reclining into the warmth of his chest. "Fine, then."

Seth tucked the top of her head underneath his chin, slowing his breathing down in hopes he could rest knowing his mate was safe for the time being when Terra's gentle fingers suddenly began to trace lazy circles on his chest. "Seth?" she whispered, only loud enough for him to hear. He could feel his heartbeat quicken, just the very sound of his name rolling off her tongue made him go weak; Seth quietly hoped, she wouldn't notice. "Yes?" "What happened today…at the casino, with me…was that_" "Yes, it was your powers Terra. It seems you have the power of possession, which can be very powerful and affective once you learn to control it." "Then what happened today?" she shifted, allowing her large green eyes to gaze up at him. "I assume it was just the sudden urgency you felt, many Sigonian people have powers which are controlled by emotions. Though possession is quite rare, I'm sure my parents would have more information about how you can control it."

"It was just so strange Seth…I could see myself, actually _see_ my own body standing there, right in front of me. What else can possession do?" "Well, as far as I know, you would be able to completely take over another being or just parts of it. You may also be able to access another person's memories or thoughts much like Sarah, but in a different way, meaning you could influence another's actions." "Sounds like something you read about in comic books," she grinned against his side, continuing to fiddle with the soft thin fabric of his tan shirt.

"I didn't even imagine they'd look human, much less like kids!" Terra picked up on Alex and Jack's conversation in the front driver seats. "They're lucky you joined us Doctor…" Jack said facing the long highway ahead, "_We're _lucky you joined us." "Luck has nothing to do with it. It's pure science, chaos theory," she noticed how Jack didn't seem to understand, "The underlining order in apparently random data." "So more like fate?" he glanced her way. Dr. Freedman squinted a little in thought, "More like science. Think about it, what are the odds that they would crash in your Vegas during a UFO convention? I got in your cab, and they got in your cab, and now we're all in Harlan's mobile home loaded with his intel on where their ship is! I mean, that is not luck. That is a predetermined order of how things work in the universe." "Have you always been this positive?" Jack grinned when seeing her giddy expression.

"I've always been…a searcher for answers, though my folks would merely say I'm more of a daydreamer. How about you?" "Me…I'm, a – uh, much easier book to read. All my life my answers have been yes or no, zero gray areas." "Where does the Mustang fall?" she questioned, flickering her gaze down to the symbol on his key ring, "A yes or a no?" "That's not just any Mustang, that's a 1948 Mustang GT-390 Fastback; Steve McQueen's car in Bullet?" Alex shrugged. "You've never seen Bullet?" Jack asked almost in disbelief. "Uh, no." Jack groaned playfully before returning to her question, "Well, that's currently a no. But one day, I'm going to earn that car the honest way…and, then it will be my yes."

"Huh," Alex nodded, tossing a glance back to the sleeping teens where her eyes landed on Terra curled up on Seth's chest, "So what's with the redheaded girl? She doesn't seem to fit into this whole equation the way the others do." "Oh, that's Terra, she was a friend of mine before this all happened." "A friend?" Alex raised a brow. "Well I knew her father when she was younger; he was a cab driver too. Unfortunately he died several years back leaving Terra alone, where the state put her in an orphanage." "Oh dear, it must've been hard." "It was for her," Jack's grip noticeably tightened around the driver's wheel, "But that girl grew up strong and as stubborn as a bull, which helped her survive. She'd visit me a lot when I was at work and we'd spend some time together, most of it including me giving her free rides." "Huh, but that still doesn't explain the attachment between her and...Seth, was it?" "That's a little more complicated…" Jack sighed before continuing, "As it turns out, Terra was in my cab the day Seth and Sarah showed up… It took a few close encounters with a Siphon before Sarah finally explained to us all that Terra was Seth's _mate_, meaning she had to have been born on their planet Sigon." "A mated couple?!" Alex whispered with excitement coloring her voice.

"Seth talked about these stages they have to go through together in order to be fully mated, but apparently it's some Sigonian custom when a male turns sixteen they are triggered into a new stage of life where they must…hunt, to find their mates." "Oh this is incredible! An alien mating specimen, they could help answer so many questions for the scientific community!" Jack gave her a look that clearly stated he didn't want her to interrogate the teens, where Alex had to calm down, "Right, right, they're just kids…I keep forgetting that." "Just don't put too much pressure on them, Terra's sensitive on the topic as well as Seth though he takes a more defensive approach." "Well naturally I would think the male to be the dominant of the couple, especially in a situation of panic or urgency, where he would probably take on the role of an alpha like demeanor." Giving her a side glance, Jack watched Alex quietly, "Let's just quit talking about it, we'll be there soon."


	8. Chapter 8: Protection

Chapter 8

Several hours passed just driving through California's desert-like terrain, which allowed the teens quite a bit of rest huddled in the back of the mobile home. Terra still lay against Seth's side with his arms wrapped protectively around her, while Sarah stretched out along the small couch; all of them equally comfortable given the compacted space. Seth shifted, trying not to wake his mate as he looked towards their human companions at the front. "Jack?" he slightly whispered, just enough to get the man's attention. "What's up pal?" "Are we there yet?" Seth noticed his sister sit up at the question, also anticipating the answer.

Jack's head tilted to face Dr. Freedman with smile inching across his face as he mimicked Seth's question, "_Are we there yet_?" "Incredible," Alex whispered back in response. "Good in any universe apparently," he nodded, "Well, Alex?" The giggling doctor began to search through the notes in her bag, pulling out a map and a several pictures to study for a few quiet moments. "It should be to our right, though given Harlan's warnings, I think we should park a good distance away so not to be detected." The cab driver nodded, following her instructions along the red dirt path while Seth uncertainly looked down to Terra's head on his shoulder. He wasn't quite sure if he should wake her just yet, she looked so peaceful in her sleep, and he especially adored the way she clung to his side. Terra's long, wavy red hair cascaded down her shoulders onto her back, masking the dirt-smudged brown hoodie she wore that seemed a bit large on her thin frame.

The cotton hat she had been wearing when they first met was long gone, Seth assumed it fell off in the floorboards of the cab during the first Siphon encounter, but it didn't appear like his mate minded the missing accessory. Unknowingly as his mind was off thinking, Seth's trailed his fingers gently down her jawline, studying every inch of her pale skin covered in tiny red freckles here or there. Her long black lashes fluttered open at his touch, having felt the electric-like warmth course through her veins, where Terra sleepily gazed up to Seth above her. "Good morning to you too," she smiled, still half-asleep. "I didn't mean to wake you," Seth retracted his arms from around her waist, causing the girl to shiver against him from the loss of warmth. "I'm fine," she whined, "Are we there yet?" Jack began to laugh from his seat at the front, "Just a few minutes more and then it's about a mile hike over to Witch Mountain."

"We have to hike there?" Terra slowly sat up, a pout evident on her face at the mention of the distance. "To be safe, yes," Jack finalized, cutting off the mobile home's engine once he found a suitable spot to park. Dr. Freedman immediately shot up from her seat, going about the back of the RV in search of the important documents needed for the rest of their journey. Sarah remained on the couch, newly accompanied by Junkyard who had been resting on the floorboards with a worn blue blanket, which allowed the young blonde moments of peace when scratching behind the canine's ears.

Dr. Freedman cautiously glanced up to Terra and Seth still close together as she rummaged through the papers in her side bag, "So, you two are…mates?" She didn't quite know how to start up a conversation with the alien teens, so Alex decided to begin with direct questions, hoping that to be better. Terra could already feel the hot blush seeping into her cheeks at the question, she forgot that Dr. Freedman really didn't understand _their _situation like she did the siblings' problem. "Yes," Seth nodded. "Would you mind if I asked you both just a few questions about the whole…alien mate thing?" Terra uncertainly looked back to Seth, who had turned to face her as well; the both of them thinking in silence before she glanced over to Dr. Freedman, "I suppose." "So…do you both have like a mental connection, where you can sense what the other's feeling or…?" "When Terra and I have completed the mating process we will have such a connection, nothing telepathic like how Sarah reads minds, but it will help me feel what my mate is feeling and keep her safe." Seth smiled down to Terra. "Now, about this whole mating process, I was wondering_" "Alex!" Jack hollered from the front, causing Dr. Freedman to sheepishly smile and follow him out the door. "I guess that's our cue too," Terra took hold of Seth's hand, pulling him toward the door and out into the blazing California heat with brush and rubble everywhere.

Sarah followed, and explained to Junkyard that he would need to wait in the mobile home, which the dog apparently didn't like, but with the promise of another meaty treat, was all for it. Jack gathered large branches from a nearby tree and began to place them around the outside of the RV, obscuring the vehicle from view; well partially, at least. "Well, the map is thirty years old, but it's the best intel we've got. Looks to be about five miles from here to the entrance," Alex explained, glancing repeatedly to the map she held in her hands. "Five miles?" Terra poked her head in between them, "I thought you said one or two earlier?" "Things change," Jack looked at her, "And we had to be a good distance away so no one would spot us. Let's rock and roll."

* * *

The hike didn't seem to take near as long as Terra thought it would, and it was actually kind of nice to get to see all the nature and plants around her. Seth helped her across some rocks they had to use to cross a small stream, which turned out pretty funny because she nearly slipped, being the clumsy teen she always is. The group followed a small dirt path up the side of a mountain, listening to Dr. Freedman's careful instruction of where they should be expecting Witch Mountain to be located; all the while, Seth continued to linger at his mate's side as much as possible. "Do not worry Terra," he spoke once the others were out of earshot, having known the look on her adorable face to be one of anxiety. "How can I not worry Seth? We're getting closer and closer to this place, and the closer we get the more I get this feeling that something's going to go wrong." "I will not let anything happen to you," he tugged her back into his embrace, hoping that a little reassurance would help his mate in some way. Almost instantly, he felt her tense muscles relax and given in to his touch which made Seth smile, knowing he could affect her in these ways.

"There's gotta be another entrance," Jack grumbled, using a pair of binoculars to study the military entrance below. Passing the binoculars over to Alex as they both lay on their stomachs to get a closer look, Jack shook his head with a sigh while examining the soldiers stopping vehicles at a checkpoint. The two walked back to meet the teens, where they found Seth and Terra closely together, conversing something with Sarah against the edge of the mountain's sudden drop off. "If the map's right, there are several service tunnels spreading outward. It's what we're looking for right?" Alex glanced up to Jack while putting away the maps. "Let's go."

While turning to walk in a new direction, an unexpected sound, like that of a buzzing bee suddenly whizzed by Terra; the girl turning to see Sarah clutch her neck with wide eyes. "Jack," she whispered, falling unconscious in Jack's arms as another shot was fired, hitting Terra. "Seth, help_" the boy was behind her in seconds, catching his mate's form as it crumbled back against his chest, a small dart lodged in the side of her throat. Completely enraged someone harmed his mate, Seth turned to face Jack and Alex before another dart identical to the first two hit him as well. Everything went black, their bodies shut down by whatever was forced into their system, where all three teens slipped into a heavy sleep.

* * *

Padded SWAT members were everywhere, distracting both Jack and Alex as they clung to the limp bodies of the three teen aliens they had come to care for. "Mr. Bruno…" a familiar voice sounded to his left, where Jack clenched his teeth while staring down at Terra's unconscious being. "And I believe, Dr. Freedman?" the agent stepped forward, concealed behind a pair of dark shades and a long black trench coat. "What did you do to them?" Alex questioned with panic filling her voice as SWAT members picked up both Terra and Seth, and started to carry them away. "Consider yourself lucky, I could've had you both shot on sight for trespassing, and violation of U.S. Government property."

Jack couldn't help but watch as Terra's flimsy body was carried away, her head hanging down over the man's arm with her red hair everywhere and green eyes open wide though no life showed through. "Terra!" he shouted, punching at least two SWAT members on his race to get to his friend. Stopped by another soldier, one knocked out his legs from behind, leaving Jack on his knees as he was hit in the face with the stock of their military weapons. Alex helped him up; aware of the numerous guns pointed their way where her gaze faltered at the sight of the teens being placed on thin gurneys and carried into a military-grade jeep. "Sir," she stopped the agent from before, "With all due respect, you have to listen to me. They came in peace, we cannot respond with violence. The future of Earth depends on it. It is absolutely vital that they get home."

"They are home, Dr. Freedman," the agent removed his shades, revealing his cold, heartless dark eyes to them both; "They are now in my custody." "_Custody_? What – you can't expect to keep them prisoner and get away with it! They have rights! They-they_" "They are illegal aliens on U.S. soil without so much as a passport. If they are to act, it enables me to detain them for as long as is necessary."

"You can't keep this quiet," Alex shook her head defiantly, "The world deserves to know that they exist!" "And _you're_ going to be the one to blow the whistle Doctor?" he looked at her disbelievingly, "A failed astrophysicist, fired from three Universities for obsessing over UFOs? Teamed up with an ex-con, declaring that Government has taken three normal-looking kids, and is holding them hostage inside a mountain that doesn't exist? It would be so much easier to let you speak, then to deal with all the paperwork involved with killing you. Oh, and we are aware of your young friend's connection to the aliens, Mr. Bruno. So we'll be running some tests on her as well." "Don't you touch her," Jack growled before realizing his efforts were useless. "Someone will believe us," he lastly retorted. "From behind bars? Let me remind you Mr. Bruno as a convicted felon, you're looking at twenty years for just standing on this mountaintop. Shall I go on?" Appearing rather pleased with himself, the agent looked at Jack, waiting for his answer. "No, I get the message." "Smart man," he gestured to two of the soldiers, "Give them a lift back down."

"_What_?! That's it, it's over?!" Alex stared openly as Jack shook his head, "I'm sorry. I will not go back to prison." "Let's go." Several SWAT members forced them into a camouflaged truck, pushing Jack and Alex into the backseat while they rode up front, steering back down the mountain. Minutes of pure silence passed with Alex's agitation growing more and more towards Jack before she lastly spoke, "At least, Terra, Seth and Sarah didn't have to witness how quickly you gave up." "I told them from the beginning it was a suicide mission," he snapped back, "And I wasn't wrong." "They trusted you! I trusted you!" "Yeah well, join the club of everyone else in my life who I've disappointed." "They will dissect them like frogs in a high school biology class, you know that?!" Alex continued with her accusing tone. "Whatever, it's not my problem and it never will_" cut off by Alex's hand as she slapped the side of his face, they were able to draw the attention of the soldier riding in the passenger seat up front which allowed Jack to knock him unconscious and force the other out of the driver's side.

Wavering on the thin dirt road from the sudden commotion, Jack forced the driver's head to collide with the side window, shattering it into pieces, and pull him back again to knock the other guard completely out of the truck; soon followed by his friend. Alex crawled over into the driver's seat, accompanied by Jack beside her which allowed them both to breathe just slightly. "By the way, that slap – very realistic," he commented while feeling his slightly sore jaw, "When did you know?" "You haven't bailed on the kids yet, why start now?" she smiled.


	9. Chapter 9: Acceptance

Chapter 9

"How long until the subjects are prepped?" a voice boomed from the intercom system above. Terra fluttered her eyes open, the affect from the sleeping dart still fresh in her body which caused her vision to blur. The agents had locked her in some circular containment unit, unlike Seth and Sarah who were laid out along large white tables, newly clothed in white suits much like herself. Attempting to stand was a definite mistake; she could instantly feel the weight of her limbs brought on by the sleeping serum laced on that dart that had been wrenched from her neck, leaving a small hole in its place. "Subjects are heavily sedated. Minimal med test starting in forty to seventy-two hours," another voice called back, where Terra finally became aware of her surroundings. The space was small around her, like a circular cage completely in white with one small glass window right in front of her where Terra could see the scientists prepping Seth and Sarah for who knows what kind of experiments. Stumbling forward on her wobbly feet, she approached the tiny window, clutching the bolted rim around it in hopes it would help steady her weight.

"S-e...th?" the word was a confused bundle of noises attempting to weave together, but was unable. "Seth?" she called again, a little louder forming a complete word. "Seth! Sarah!" Terra began to shout, beating against the containment unit's walls with all the force she could muster. Many of the plastic-dressed scientists glanced her way before turning back to face an agent standing confined within a glass office above, like a hawk perched on its nest. "Subject Three is awake, sir." The tall suited man glowered down to her from his placement up above, silencing Terra's shouting for just moments before she started again. "Leave her awake, she'll have a front row seat to our little show… Forty to seventy-two hours is unacceptable, commence the procedure." One of the men peered up concerned, "We don't know enough about their systems. Any sudden change could terminate the subjects." "We can't just kill them," the other gestured openly.

"Mr. Pope, you will do well not to forget what our mission is," the agent turned back to the glass, staring coldly down to the scientists. "Our orders come from Washington, and Washington wants answers to some very complex questions. Our goal is to provide those answers. Now if you, are doubting your ability…?" "No," the man shook his head, "Sir." "Very good, then. Commence the tests Mr. Matheson." "Right away sir," the taller man again started preparing the blonde siblings, "Initiating tests." "No!" Terra screamed, beating against the rounded walls as hard as she could, "Seth! Sarah!"

* * *

Both Alex and Jack had to use their full weight when trying to turn the knob and open one of the many service tunnels they were able to find. Several creaks and moans from the untouched metal were released as Jack pried the door back, uncertainly peering down the dark tunnel ahead. "After you," he motioned to Alex who gaped at him openly. "I'm right behind ya." "Thanks," he replied sarcastically while ducking downward into the opening. It was the several minutes of crawling on all fours in a small space that caused Jack to worry the most, his breathing becoming hard and labored as he ventured further with Alex not far behind. Finally reaching a covering to what seemed like a large section of tunnel, Jack gripped the bars above him while ushering Alex back. With one swift kick, the door that once stood in his way had completely busted off its hinges, falling down into the much larger space below. Positioning himself on the lower part of the ladder which led across the opening, Jack looked up to Alex who gripped the frame circling the hole for dear life. "It's going to be okay and I'm going to be here right below you the whole time."

Dr. Freedman continuously mumbled words of encouragement to herself while turning around to grip the ladder, Jack just a few steps below. After descending a few steps, an unexpected rumble caused everything to shake around them as a light flashed on at the very bottom. "What was that?" Alex whimpered, glancing down to the growing light, "Jack, exhaust furnace!" "It's okay, it's okay! There's another tunnel over here!" Both adults hurriedly scurried down into the next tunnel, seeing the fire produce from the light below until it fused right past them. Forced down the new opening like a kid on a water slide, Jack landed first upright on his feet, steadying Alex as she stopped beside him. Breathing heavily, he looked over to her in the darkness, "Are you okay?" Nodding, still a bit shaken from the unexpected trip down, Alex followed Jack into a connecting space which would hopefully lead somewhere useful.

They soon found another opening with voices and vehicle engines clearly making noise on the other side, so Jack hesitantly poked his head out of the hole and gave a look around before lowering himself down the ladder and to the ground. Alex followed suit, trying her best to keep quiet as she watched Jack approach a corner, peeking around the side quickly before returning to his position. "What now?" she whispered after a small jeep passed by with several soldiers. "Find the kids," Jack replied in between his heavy breathing, "Don't get caught." "Good plan," Dr. Freedman nodded sarcastically.

* * *

No matter how hard she beat against the walls, they never budged, not even the window would crack under her fist and Terra was pretty sure there was no way out other than the slim chance Jack and Alex would find them. "We're very close to determining the source of their power," the agent from above spoke into a small phone held to his ear; it was obvious whoever was on the other line had authority over him. "Yes, sir. Containment is at one hundred percent. We've recovered the three targets, and their spacecraft. I understand, thank you sir. And thank you for sticking by me in the project, I know it's taken a long time to get here, but I think we both agree since we've worked through previous failures…" Shifting her attention back to Seth as a scientist peered over his face with a stethoscope, Terra could feel the anger twitch throughout her body, causing her hands to tremble at her sides.

"All vitals appear to be stabilized," he announced, pressing several buttons along a meter behind the table.

How dare that man come so close to Seth?! How dare he attempt to dissect her mate?! "Stay away from them!" she roared, beating against the glass until her fists were numb. "Sir, what are we to do with Subject Three?" The agent once again allowed his gaze to travel to her, a smile filled with cruel intentions inching across his face, "Give her a little something to douse that fiery attitude. There's no possible way for her to break free from the containment unit, so let her rant all she wants." "Oh, when I get out of here, I'm gonna_" Terra spat until interrupted by red lights and sirens going off all around them.

"Bruno," the agent sneered, "Deadly force authorized!" The two figures disappeared from the office above, leaving the redheaded teen to fuss and pound harder against her cage until an unnatural mist seeped into the space from small holes made in the sides. Coughing as the gas made its way into her airways, Terra's tense muscles suddenly seemed to relax, her strength giving way as she slumped down onto her knees; clutching the window frame above her with all she had left. Dragging herself back up to see from the porthole, the teen could feel her heart doing summersaults at the sight of Jack and Alex beating the men unconscious from the office space above. They crouched together once the scientists were taken care of, hidden behind a desk where Alex scanned over both the blonde siblings before looking at Jack. "Where's Terra?"

"Jack! Jack, I'm here! Help me!" her pleas were useless, whatever they had administered to her just seconds before had her voice drowned out to nothing more than a whisper. She fell back down to the floor, drifting off into a strange state of slight sleep, yet at the same time Terra was fully awake. She couldn't get control of her body! Every limb felt like a twenty pound weight, and it sure didn't help that she couldn't stand up to see where Jack and Alex had gone. Unless by some miracle they were able to find her in the containment unit, there was a good chance she could be left behind.

* * *

Floating in complete darkness, Seth could only think back on the memories before they were captured; and surprisingly all he could remember was the constant fear he had of losing his mate. He had promised to protect her. He had promised that he wouldn't let anyone get to her, and now look where they are! If only he had paid more attention, he could've pulled her away from the dart… The pain was still fresh in his chest; having to see his mate crumble to the ground where he had caught her, meaning he failed. He failed at the one thing he was supposed to do.

Arguing with himself continuously, the pain stunned his consciousness, reminding him he still had to escape this endless dream; to return to his mate and help her escape. He didn't care if it was only Terra and his sister that escaped, he just needed to know they were both safe. Seth tried, and tried again, fighting against whatever was in that dart to force his body awake. It wasn't long before an unrealistic sense of lightness came to mind, the once heavy blanket of sleep now thinning where Seth faintly made out the face of Dr. Alex Freedman above him. Was this real? "Seth…" she heaved happily, encouraging him to sit up where he found his limbs having to phase through several restraints in order to do so. A flimsy, mask made from small tubes had been placed over his face which Dr. Freedman helped him remove, but that wasn't his largest concern. Sarah lay on a table next to him, waking just as he had to find Jack hovering above her, but where was Terra?

"Terra?" he stood from the table, examining the new white clothes he had been placed in. Alex's eyes collected a downhearted appeal as she watched him analyze over their surroundings in search of his mate. "Seth," she lightly touched his arm, "We don't know where they took her."

Rage flowed through his veins, fueling the tight grip he enforced as he curled his hands into fists. They had taken his mate! They had taken her and hidden her away from him! Seth gazed forward, guilt masking his rage as he thought about how all of this was his fault; if only he had stayed beside her and paid more attention! Her scent was gone from his clothes, but still in the air, lifting Seth's spirit only a little. "I'm going to find her," he marched out of the plastic-encased science lab, only to find strange circular units in a row around them. The group followed him in silence, not bothering to argue even though they had a time limit. Seth held a look on his face daring anyone to talk against finding Terra while the teen followed her scent as best he could before Sarah stepped closely to his side, clutching his upper arm with a faint smile. "She's here!" his sister pointed toward a containment unit down the line, where they all jogged to peek inside the small circular window.

Her scent was strongest here, and Seth could slightly a patch of fiery red hair just below the frame. Why wasn't she moving? Why wasn't Terra trying to get out of there? "Her mind is foggy, they must have given her some kind of medicine to dull her nervous system," Sarah stated, hearing her brother's mental questions rather clearly. "Terra?" he shouted toward the glass, coming closer as the figure stirred below. "Seth?" she barely whispered, but that was enough for him. Seth phased through the containment unit, not sparing a second of time as he bent down to help Terra up and onto her feet. Clutching her hands in his gently, Terra winced at the contact where Seth looked down to his mate's hands, seeing the pale skin all swollen and discolored with bruising. So she had tried to escape…

"Seth," she whispered again, her voice hinting towards happiness which brought a smile to Seth's face as he wrapped an arm around her side to support her weight. "Terra, I need you to hold onto me; don't let go." Her weak arms wrapped around his shoulders as they both passed through the containment unit together, the process of phasing causing Terra's body to shiver beside him.

Jack smiled along with Alex and Sarah, overjoyed to see their friend once again. "All right, now that we're all here, let's go."

Seth stepped forward in attempts to follow, but Terra had planted herself in one spot, refusing to move. "Terra, we_" silenced suddenly with her lips on his, Seth stared wide-eyed at his mate, completely shocked as she pulled away. Terra looked at his eyes, turning bashful as a blush coated her cheeks and a sheepish grin stretched her perfect lips while turning away, "I'm sorry Seth…I don't know what_" It was his turn to surprise her, pressing his lips fully against hers while taking a few steps back to press his mate up against the nearest wall. Terra seemed to understand his intention with the kiss, and deepened their connection by working against his force with her feather-light lips. A feeling coursed through both their bodies, like lightning had plowed through their veins, cleansing every inch of their beings, yet it didn't hurt; instead it was such an amazing feeling, which caused Terra to smile against his lips, realizing they had just completed the first stage in the mating process together. Seth lowered one of his hands to clamp onto her waist while the other held the back of her neck, enticing a slight moan from his lips as she pulled herself closer against his body, weaving her arms up his chest and around his shoulders.

They finally had to break apart for air, both breathing heavily with large love-filled smiles as they stared at each other in silence. "Um…guys," Jack finally broke the awkward tension that had spread around them, having to witness their little make out session which caused Sarah to giggle from the slightly repulsed and parental thoughts running through his mind. "We kind of need to go now," he finished, gesturing to a hall behind them like he was asking permission. Terra was sure her face was tomato red when he looked at her, but she nodded, grasping Seth's hand as they started off down the hall. Jogging down an empty corridor, the group stopped, letting Jack peer through a small hole to check for soldiers. He unlocked the small door and ushered them onward, following soon after everyone was through. Seth pulled out the small device he had kept throughout the journey and studied the coordinates in search of their ship, keeping a gentle grip on Terra's hand beside him. "It's over there," he pointed as Jack inched closer, watching the scientists carefully who marched across a bridge above their heads.

Keeping a good distance behind the men above them, the group stalked closer to a staircase which led to the bridge, where Jack motioned for them to all go up yet try to keep quiet. As soon as they all reached the top step, the spacecraft came into view below; its huge metal dome-like top stretching from one cave wall to the other in the large lab space. Men in white lab coats were everywhere, discussing scientific knowledge of the craft while the group crouched behind the railing of the steps. "Oh my," Dr. Freedman whispered excitedly. "We have to hurry," Sarah reminded Jack in a hushed tone. "Well, tell them that!" he shot back, an irritated undertone in his voice. "Good idea," Alex glanced back to a white lab coat lying across a desk chair just behind them.


	10. Chapter 10: Escaping Witch Mountain

Chapter 10

**Oh my gosh, we're getting so close to the end! Once again, I want to thank all of the people who've reviewed, you guys are awesome! I have an idea that I was going to ask you readers about, which I think I'll included in the next chapter, so enjoy this chapter and I'll hopefully be able to update soon.**

* * *

Alex marched her way down the steps after throwing her leather jacket to Jack, and casually buttoned the front of the lab coat. The four of them watched her continue forward from the stairwell above, analyzing over how Dr. Freedman didn't show an ounce of fear in her face, where Terra unknowingly squeezed Seth's hand. "It's going to be okay, she knows what she's doing," he whispered over to his mate, having felt her anxiety.

"Excuse me," Alex called over the sirens, catching attention from every scientist within the area. "Do you - not hear the alarms?" she pointed to the flashing red lights with slight confusion, "Work in this sector is to cease immediately." Slowly, the scientists all around seemed to inch closer, staring at Dr. Freedman as if she had been placed under a microscope. "We have off the chart readings of sodium hibo-chlroride, xenon, hydro-zinc, and you don't even want to know, how bad the gamma radiation is! You are going to have to do some serious, and I mean serious scrubbing down." "Who are you?" one of them asked, stepping out of the circle that had formed around her with a bewildered look. Alex faced him with wide-eyes, "Who-who am I?" Nonchalantly strolling a bit closer to the man, she shook her head, "Who am I? I'll tell you who I am. I am your worst nightmare in a core martial, soldier. Now, you could either do as you're told or I could go tell **Henry Burke, **you disobeyed his direct orders. Your call, choose wisely."

As soon as they possibly could, all the scientists rushed out the nearest doorway after a serious staring contest between Alex and one of the main lab scientists, leaving the short woman all to herself in the large space before ushering Jack and the teens to come down. "Very impressive Doctor," Jack grinned, watching as Dr. Freedman stripped away her lab coat only to throw it to the side. "I was a part of the drama club back in high school."

Seth jogged over towards the ship, climbing up onto one of the stands to inspect the side once damaged from their crash landing. Just as he suspected, the ship was able to repair itself with some of the new Sigonian technology implanted in the engine and he smiled slightly, turning around to then help his mate and sister up beside him. His fingers gently felt across the metal, inspecting every inch in case there was a fatal scratch or mark that could render them from leaving Earth; happy to see there was no such wound, Seth pulled out the small device he had used throughout their journey and placed it along the side, where only seconds passed before the ship powered to life. The front section of the ship's outer-rim opened, bathing the group in a heavenly white light as they all stood, staring at the runway that formed, welcoming them inside. "We're going home," Seth whispered down to his mate, happy to see a huge smile form her pink lips. The teens started forward, walking up the new platform towards the entrance of the ship followed by Alex and Jack before a voice echoed over them, "Thank you. We were having a hard time figuring that part out."

Guns pointed at them from every direction where the agent from before loomed over them while standing on the bridge-like staircase, Terra's smile dropping in the process. Jack stepped forward as though he could use his body like a shield, but Alex instinctively touched his arm, "Jack." "A brave but empty gesture, Mr. Bruno," the agent nodded in acknowledgement. "They're just kids," he shot back, knowing he was defeated. Seth dared a move closer, gripping Jack's hand while holding tight to Terra's at his right. Sarah took Jack's other hand, gazing up to all the SWAT team members with their rifles. Lastly, Dr. Freedman came to Terra's side, grasping her hand with a few deep breaths as they all stared to Agent Burke who held an uneasy smile, causing his thin lips to twitch.

Before they knew what was going on, a soldier had fired, triggering all of the others around him where Terra could feel her heart jump to her throat. Fear filled every inch of her being as she jerked her head closer to Seth, feeling Alex squirm at her side also expecting the pain. Glancing down to the bullets buzzing her way, Terra gasped at how they seemingly stopped just before penetrating her flesh, just as she remembered the SUV simulating against Seth's chest. She looked up, finding Seth staring outward emotionless, his grip on her hand quite tight though not uncomfortable; Terra could feel the protective sense Seth felt flow off of him in waves, causing a small grin to form despite the various other things happening around them.

"Hold your fire! Hold your fire!" Agent Burke shouted furiously, expecting to see the group below dead, but was pleasantly surprised. Alex and Jack seemed to finally notice the lack of pain as well, releasing their worried breaths as suddenly a huge explosion destroyed the wall behind the ship. Terra didn't even have to think to know what it was, and she hurriedly looked up to Seth with fear consuming the bright color of her eyes. "Siphon!" "Go, go! Run, run, run!" Jack pushed them all in the direction of the ship's entrance, ignoring the orders Agent Burke threw to his men about not letting them escape. Though the Siphon did a good job of distracting the soldiers for the time being, everyone in the group could still feel the urgency to get as far away from Witch Mountain as possible.

The blonde siblings led them into what appeared like the space for them to drive and manage the spacecraft, with two tall metal chairs planted in the middle of the rounded area. "Cool," Dr. Freedman breathed out, standing with Jack against the wall as Seth and Sarah took the two seats with Terra at the boy's side. "He's here! Let's get this thing up in the air, and let's move!" Jack shouted hastily, pacing the floor at the back of the room. Seth and Sarah both moved their palms across small rounded handles at the edge of the armrests, causing a blue light to spark beneath their hands while a holographic screen cast on the front wall. Graphics of all different kinds projected themselves on the screen where Seth had to move quickly to get the engine started as another explosion sounded outside in the lab. He had to get his mate to safety, along with his new friends and sister; it was the only thing that mattered.

"Come on," Jack released, his hands on his hips as he looked anxiously to the door. The ship rocked to the side seconds after another explosion, applying even more pressure to the situation as Sarah moved images along the screen. "Activate the shields," she called over to her brother. "Power is at twenty-five percent and increasing," he announced, feeling the ship quake under his feet as it tried to comply with their urgent requests. Knocking the ship against the ceiling of the lab made Terra's back hit the wall hard, distracting Seth for several moments with worry for his mate. "You do know how to fly this thing right?" Jack questioned, drawing Seth's attention back to the problem at hand. "How do you think we got here?" "Well you - crashed, remember?" he stated bluntly, drawing a slight chuckle from Terra as she regained her balance.

"Siphon," Sarah pointed out, noticing how the ship would have to face the soldier head-on to get past. "Hold on!" Seth steered the ship higher, plowing straight into the Siphon with hopes that would put an end to their worries. "Got em!"

Now navigating through the pathways of Witch Mountain while scraping the ceiling numerous times, Jack and Alex watched the screen nervously. "Watch out!" he pointed toward an oncoming military truck which they were lucky to have dodged. "Follow the tunnels!" Alex directed them back onto the path. With a slight whimper at the notice of more obstacles ahead, Terra gripped Seth's chair, trying to steady herself. The walls of the passage ahead began to close as a voice above counted down from ten, sending flustered thoughts into everyone's mind. What if they didn't make it out? Even after all their attempts, they could still get trapped in here! **"Eight…seven…six…"** "The door! The door! The door!" Alex repeated, practically wincing as the large metal doors came closer and closer to shutting them inside. **"Four…three…"** Seth flipped the ship to the side just as the voice completed the countdown, barely managing to get the spacecraft through the slim opening, but he did it all the same.

Everyone started to breathe normally again as smiles plastered themselves to their faces; Alex and Terra both releasing excited whoops of joy while the ship took to the skies. The siblings directed the ship around the mountain allowing all of them to view the prison they had just escaped, "We did it!" "We did it!" Sarah nodded, agreeing with Jack. As if it were planned just to squash their happiness, another unexpected rumble caused the ship to shake around. "What was that?" Terra glanced Seth's way. "The airlock's jammed; I need to manually override the system." "You two fly," Jack called from behind them, "Just tell me what to do." "I'll go with him," Terra volunteered, though the look on Seth's face clearly stated he didn't like the idea. "Terra_" "Seth, I'll do it. We don't have time to argue." "Fine," he spat, soon explaining to them both what was needed in order for them to continue without falling from the sky.

The two carefully made their way through the hall back to where Seth had said the airlock compartment would be, where they could both immediately feel the air rushing in from the unclosed door just ahead. Jack planted a hand at each side, attempting to push the door together with Terra doing the same but it wouldn't budge. A hand gripped Jack's shoulder, throwing him back against the nearest wall which allowed Terra the time to spin around and see who was there: Siphon. The large soldier turned to face her, its head tilted at an angle as if it were almost confused though through the various layers of armor ripped and torn everywhere didn't allow her to see its actual face. Gripping her by the throat, the Siphon lifted Terra off her feet and into the air, pinning her against the airlock's doors where no matter how hard she kicked or clawed at his arm, he didn't even flinch. "Jack!" she gasped, feeling the breath slip from her lungs. "Terra!" Jack slammed his whole body against the Siphon's back, dropping Terra to the floor along with the cab driver who tried to squirm away.

Pulling Jack onto his feet, the soldier began to shove him against the wall multiple times before picking him back up again by his shirt and throwing him to the farthest side of the space. The Siphon persisted, marching toward Jack who had managed to get back up and knee his opponent one good time in the center before the thing grabbed his neck and pounded his head against the floor. Lifting Jack to the ceiling and back again to the floor, the Siphon didn't notice Terra stand once more only to leap and grip the soldier around the middle with her legs while punching his head repeatedly. Without so much as a glance her way, the Siphon wrapped Jack in a headlock, slowly stripping him of the right to breathe. "Leave him alone!" Terra hollered, ripping the helmet right off the Siphon's head before he shoved her to the ground behind him. He threw Jack to her side as well, gradually lifting his head with his back to them as Terra inspected the helmet she still held. Disturbing pink flesh coated in some slimy substance faced them, where the Siphon's gray eyes remained emotionless; no evidence of a mouth of nose present of his face. "Oh my gosh," Terra whispered.

"Terra!" Seth phased through the door behind the soldier, his worried eyes immediately going to his mate who stood beside Jack. The Siphon spun around, throwing a punch to Seth's chest though his protective abilities instantly deflected the blow. Jack gripped its shoulder, turning the Siphon's attention back to him as Seth ran to Terra. "You're better with the mask on," he commented before punching the exposed flesh twice, a third for good measure until the Siphon caught his fist. Propelling Jack toward the airlock's doors, his body's force caused the doors to split apart revealing the blue energy source below. It turned to gaze at Seth and Terra, reaching forward as if it were to grab the redhead before being tackled once more by Jack.

The ship abruptly flipped to the side, knocking them all to the left walls where Jack and Terra both fell into the airlock's small chamber; the Siphon gripping the door's frame right before their eyes. Terra looked down to find Jack sprawled across the small platforms above the blue orb of light, where the girl hurried to his side as the Siphon leapt down to their level. "This is just ridiculous!" she shouted his way, dodging several punches before his large hand once again encaged her throat, lifting her up and over the clearly dangerous energy source. Seth appeared at the door, whacking the Siphon once on the head with its own helmet which captured its attention; its punch phasing through the teen's body while Terra was dropped back onto her feet. Jack reached over and grasped its ankle, throwing him back into the opening below where it managed to catch Jack's arm in a tight grip while dangling in mid-air. Lifting the monster up just enough to release his arm, Jack gave it a look, obviously smug and punched its face one last time.

The being disintegrated right before their eyes, its molecules flowing like dust in the blue light where Jack reached over to help Terra across. Seth held out a hand, immediately helping his mate up beside him and then Jack. Closing the airlock's doors at last, the boy teen looked to his friend with a slight smile, "We have finished the Siphon." "That we did buddy," Jack heaved after a deep breath, "That we did." Enveloping his mate in a firm hug, Seth could feel Terra melt against his chest with a smile, "I knew I shouldn't have let you come back here." "Hey," she pushed him away slightly, "Jack and I handled it. We would've been fine." With a joking tone clear in her voice, Seth chuckled, breathing in his mate's scent with a grin. Pulling away just a bit, Seth's eyes examined Terra's face, his jaw setting with anger at the notice of large bruises encircling her neck. "You're hurt," he stated. "Huh?" Terra felt around her neck, flinching at the pain that shot through her flesh at the contact, "Oh, I guess I am… Seth, I'll be fine." "I don't like seeing you hurt. It means I wasn't there to protect you, and that makes me angry." Her green eyes flickered up to his blue ones, a smile gracing her pale face as she nuzzled against his shoulder, "I'm glad you're okay too."

"Terra, no. I'm serious," it was clear Seth wasn't going to let this encounter go, and just as he began to ramble on and on about the importance of her safety, Terra silenced him with a kiss. Feeling his tension melt away at the contact, she pulled away with a grin. "I like the way you settle our arguments," Seth mentioned while they started on their way back to the command room, hearing Terra's laughter at his side.


	11. Chapter 11: Goodbye

Chapter 11

**First off, I just want to take a moment and thank Rosebird98 for her review; after reading it, I was literally so happy the smile on my face hurt. Your questions are much appreciated, and I will be sure to consider them when continuing my writing. So here it is kiddies, the question I had planned to ask: I wanted to know if any of you (readers) thought I should continue Alien Heart by making a sequel? I need help making this decision, and I would love to hear more from you guys, so be sure to review or private message me. This will be the final chapter for this story, and if I do get the encouragement to continue into a sequel, I will be sure to post the information right here! So, keep checking for any changes! Also I wanted to thank all of you for reading, your favs and following as well as reviews! Enjoy!**

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"You both must hurry," Sarah's saddened gaze went up to Jack, "It's only a matter of time before they get here." The group had landed the spacecraft just down the side of Witch Mountain, allowing both Alex and Jack to return to Harlan's disguised mobile home while they everyone said their goodbyes. "Don't worry about us," he smiled. Terra still stood at Seth's side, clinging tightly to his hand as the nervous thoughts lastly came to mind.

"_So it's finally time to say goodbye, huh?" _A pout formed her lips as she stared down at the green grass encircling her feet, _"I don't want to leave Jack… I mean, sure I belong with Seth and everything, but it'll be hard to leave him." _Sarah's head tilted, looking at her brother's mate in question though trying to escape the wandering eye of Seth to keep her thoughts secret. _"Terra, if you are uncomfortable leaving Earth, Seth and I could always return to retrieve you whenever ready." _A bit startled from the voice echoing in her consciousness, the redhead glanced up to Sarah, shaking her head just slightly once understanding they didn't need to alert Seth to their conversation. _"I want to go, I really do. But I just can't help but to think of how Jack will be all alone again…" "I don't know about that," _Sarah's pale lips stretched into a knowing smirk as her blue eyes flickered between Dr. Freedman and the cab driver, _"I think Jack will be well taken care of. Besides, you and Seth have already completed the first stage in the mating process; it could harm both of you, mentally and physically, if the other is to be absent for too long; especially in these tender times." "So you're saying I have no choice?" _the teen's eyebrows knitted together in obvious concern.

"_No, I'm saying if you do not return with us, it could harm Seth's health, though I doubt he'd even let you consider leaving anyway." "True," _she sighed, _"Will I ever be able to return?" "Of course," _Sarah faced her with a small smile,_ "The scientific community in Sigon will undoubtedly offer you a position in their squad of Earth-studying scientists; it is an honorable role, which you could easily fill. You'll be there to provide answers to many of the questions they have about Earth's occupants, which therefore concludes that you will most certainly be placed on the list of studiers to accompany on the Earth Missions. There is a variety of other jobs to occupy your time as well." "There's a lot I need to learn, isn't there?" _Terra flashed her a hopeful grin, squeezing Seth's hand just a bit to draw his attention away from Jack and Dr. Freedman, and back to her. That probably sounded very selfish, but Seth didn't seem to mind the distraction as their eyes connected. _"Most definitely," _Sarah finished with a quiet sigh, rubbing her temple carefully before turning to Jack.

"Sarah and I want you to have this," Seth handed Jack the small device used to power the ship moments before, a saddened smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "As long as it's in your possession," Sarah waved her hand over the top, causing the blue lights to once again blink on, "We'll always be able to find you." Alex and Jack shared a glance, only to then study the trinket in his hands with several deep breaths. "Thanks, I…" the content gleam in Jack's eyes drained out of the glistening dark brown as they rose to look at Terra; this would be their last moment together for who knows how long, so he turned away, trying to hide the tears.

"Jack…" she released Seth's hand, glancing over her shoulder to reassure her mate of what she was going to do, and followed the cab driver away from the others a few steps. "I'm going to miss you," her voice wavered from the obvious guilt she felt at having to leave him. His shoulders heightened at her tone, turning back to find the kid close to sobbing which Jack could clearly tell had Seth on edge a few feet away. "Hey," he placed a hand on each shoulder, being mindful of the bruises left by the Siphon around her neck, "I'm going to miss you too, kid." A brief smile clung to her lips as she wrapped Jack up in a tight embrace, feeling the taller man chuckle warmly at the notice of her grabbing at him like it was her first day of kindergarten. "I'll be back soon," she sniffled, "I promise." "Be sure to send me a post card from the first galaxy you pass through," he teased, trying to lighten the mood. Terra laughed weakly, pulling away as she began to wipe at the tears slipping from her eyes. "Besides, with me gone, now you have Dr. Freedman all to yourself," she grinned, examining the stains now made on her white tunic-like shirt. Jack's eyebrow rose a bit, tossing his gaze over her head to the Doctor as she said her final goodbyes to the blonde siblings. "Did Sarah tell you something about her? Like what she was thinking about me?" he noticeably puffed out his chest as Dr. Freedman glanced back to them, causing Terra to giggle while wiping away the rest of the tears. "We both have our predictions…" she grinned from ear-to-ear before turning serious on him once more, "Take care Jack. I'll always owe you one." "You'll owe me more than that for all the free cab rides I gave you this month." Laughing amongst themselves, Terra returned to the two blondes as Dr. Freedman seemingly managed to bulk-up the courage to say something that was on her mind.

"Your parents will be very proud of what you've done here," she dragged the teens into a hug, pulling back seconds later to keep from getting too emotional. "Thank you Alex," Sarah whispered, before the two went off discussing some scientific reasoning as to why the whole journey turned out the way it did. Seth gripped Terra's hand, stepping around the two to face Jack who had stood there watching after the redhead had walked away. "I once said that we could never count on humans to help us, especially you. I was wrong, and for that I am sorry." Considering Seth's words, Jack nodded, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, "You take care of yourself, Terra…and your sister too. Do you understand?" The boy teen calmly looked down to his mate, taking in her sparkling green eyes before his expression changed from one of seriousness to one of absolute joy, "Yes."

"Jack," Sarah practically gasped, running into his arms with fresh tears clouding her vision. "You guys remember," he croaked, "Me a-and Alex…we're o-only a wormhole away… Okay?" "I want you to promise me something," she stared into his teary eyes, "Take care of Junkyard for me." As if to make his presence known, the large canine barked, catching everyone's attention for a few seconds before Jack nodded. "Anything you want." Sarah carefully placed her fingertips along Jack's temple; mentally connecting them Terra was sure, for the cab driver unexpectedly straightened his back, looking confused as if he had heard something.

"It's time," Seth announced, turning him and his mate in the direction of the ship. "Alex," Terra called, to which the young woman's head snapped upward in order to pay attention, "Treat Jack right, okay?" A nervous blush set in along the Doctor's cheeks as she watched them walk up the runway and pause just before disappearing into the ship. The three teens turned to face their friends, silently raising their hands in a gesture of goodbye while Jack and Alex did the same; the doors to ship closing them inside with a quiet swish where Seth led the two girls back to the commanding center.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, having seen the tears in Terra's eyes. "Yes," she responded softly, weaving her fingers in with his as he took a seat, placing a short kiss on the tip of his nose. "Now let's go home."


	12. Chapter 12: Author's Note

**Hey guys! I know it's been a while, and I know some of you have been anticipating this news, so here you go! I will be writing a sequel for Alien Heart very soon, I'm currently writing another fic which you can check out in my profile if you want. As soon as I'm done with that, I'm probably going to begin writing the second book so stay tuned! Thank you guys for liking this story and following me to the end, I really enjoyed writing it! Oh, and some notes for the next story, I haven't decided whether to make a complete storyline or create drabbles of important events to answer your questions. So please leave me some reviews or private message me to help me make the decision!**

**-BeautyNotBeast**


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